The creation of the Iraqi border is a story of complexity and multiple foreign powers. After the fall and withdraw of the Ottoman Empire post world war one, a massive void was left in what is now known as the middle east or west Asia. Most of the countries that we now know make up the entirety of this area did not exist before the French and British carved up the land among themselves to rule over or control. It is important that I say most and not all because in contrary to common notion, Iran was already a state that had already been established and which the Ottomans did not control. For the other countries in the region however, this was not the case. A few of the newly established countries being mentioned here though include Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq which was formally known as Mesopotamia. Out of the list of these countries, this paper will focus on the country of Iraq. The actions of the French, British, and Even the United States of America all of the way back in the early to mid 1900s are, at the very least partially, responsible for the massive amount of space Iraq holds in the news sector today. This is in large point due to the policies and political actions taken by these three imperial countries. Especially when studying the creation of the Iraqi borders. This paper will discuss the creation of the modern borders the state of Iraq and the land that is included within its borders, the reasons behind the land included, and the players who dictation what land Iraq was made of and why.
Background: Historical background of Ottoman Empire and Mesopotamia.
Whenever one is discussing the creation of a new state, it is important to get a good understanding of the historical background of the area being written ...
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...andate for the control of Mesopotamia in April of 1920.
“most of the Arabian peninsula and what is now Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq.”
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Gertrude Bell to Her Father. August 23, 1920. Accessed February 27, 2014. http://www.gerty.ncl.ac.uk/letter_details.php?letter_id=411. Kristian Coates Ulrichsen (2007) The British occupation of Mesopotamia, 1914–1922, Journal of Strategic Studies, 30:2, 358, DOI: 10.1080/01402390701248780