In 1925, Sir Harry Luke published a captivating book on ‘Mosul and its Minorities’. Sir Harry, who later served as Lieutenant-Governor to Malta, observes: “There are few parts of the world so baffling to the ethnographic map-maker as the district which was once known as the Vilayet of Mosul.”
Writing in the style of the quintessential gentleman-scholar, Sir Harry recalls his encounters with the local population; both the Kurdish Muslim majority and the many minorities including Assyrian Christians, Chaldean and Syrian Catholics, Armenians, Aramaic-speaking Jews, Shebeks and Yazidis. He also chronicles some of the traditions and the events that have shaped this region, which has been plagued by genocide, violence as well as unacceptable compromise.
It is most unfortunate that the same colonial administration was partly responsible for the slipshod treatment of the citizens of Mosul and its environs. The bloodbath unfolding in Iraq can be partly traced to the mistakes made just under 100 years ago.
During World War I, the Allied powers were acutely aware of the Ottoman Empire’s declining fortunes. In the event of a victory over the Entente powers, both France and Britain would have to deal with what was termed ‘the sick man of Europe’. Both powers relished such a prospect.
Britain wanted to secure its land route to India – then the jewel in the crown of the British Empire. France wanted to secure its interests in the Levant. With this in mind, plans were made to carve up the Ottoman Empire. The agreement was drawn up by the British diplomatic adviser Sir Mark Sykes and his French counterpart, François Georges-Picot.
Once the contents of the Sykes-Picot Agreement were made public, there was much debate and distrust. This was partly fuelled by the revelation that conflicting promises were made to different factions.
The intense debate did not make much of a difference.
Following the defeat of the Entente powers, the Ottoman Empire was partitioned. The nascent League of Nations granted France mandates in Lebanon and Syria. Britain had been given a mandate over both Palestine and Mesopotamia.
Despite being at its zenith, the British Empire was financially crippled after a long drawn out war. The challenge of the Colonial Office was to secure the route to India in the most cost-effective of ways. Sir Winston Churchill, at the time Secretary of State for the Colonies, suggested the creation of a new State: the Kingdom of Iraq.
In the history of nation building, this was perhaps the most short-sighted and disastrous attempt that still haunts the international community to this very day.
Churchill suggested that three provinces should be merged into one Kingdom: the Vilayet of Basra, the Vilayet of Baghdad and the Vilayet of Mosul.
The new country was too be ruled by King Faisal, a Shi’a ruler in a country were the large majority was Sunni.
The history of Iraq is a painful reminder of the suffering inflicted upon a large population through misguided policies
The Vilayet of Mosul remained contentious. The Kurdish majority was reluctant to be part of both the Republic of Turkey and the Kingdom of Iraq. Faced with a choice, a League of Nations Commission discovered that the population would prefer to be part of the Kingdom of Iraq. Nonetheless, this was largely an unacceptable compromise.
The history of Iraq is a painful reminder of the suffering inflicted upon a large population through misguided policies.
Criticism of nation-building has always been rampant. This is justified particularly since this is often done to satisfy a number of geopolitical interests, often ignoring salient and subtle issues. The latter generally remain unresolved. By virtue of this failure, the political situation can only deteriorate.
A number of states remain nominally united under one political unit. However, the lack of a common narrative, the absence of unifying conventions and the general distrust of governing institutions will ensure that such a political unit will always be somewhat unstable.
If demands for self-determination are not met, sectarian violence may ensue.
The recent focus on Iraq is not due to sectarian violence or the systematic harassment of minorities. This has been the status quo for the past 10 years.
It is pertinent to note that the population of Christians in Iraq has dwindled from approximately 1.3 million in 2003 to 450,000 in 2013. Sectarian violence has also featured heavily in the post-Saddam scenario. The death toll was particularly high in 2006 and 2007.
However, recent Western interest in Iraq seems to have been sparked by the consolidation and advancement of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). ISIL has embarked on a systematic and brutal campaign that is targeting anyone who decides not to conform to its strict fundamentalism.
Its success in northern Iraq, the capturing of the city of Mosul and the formation of a Caliphate (which is now called the ‘Islamic State’) under the rule of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has brought about a situation that has great humanitarian implications as well as geopolitical consequences.
ISIL has been particularly adept at recruiting youths from Western Europe to its cause. The threat of home-grown terrorism is one which should not be underestimated. Moreover, its territories could become potential safe havens for terrorism.
Analysts point to the fact that the ‘Islamic State’ (IS) may crumble under its own fundamentalism. Others have speculated that rampant corruption will eventually weaken and destabilise IS. However, containment may be just another unhappy compromise. As things stand, the advancement of the IS hampers the security of the citizens of Iraq as well as the political stability of Iraq and wider security interests.
The greatest tragedy is humanitarian. In a matter of weeks, the 30,000 Christian citizens of Mosul were driven out of their city. A considerable number of Yazidi citizens are stranded on Mount Sinjar. Refugees face inhuman conditions in the stifling summer heat.
Some Iraqi officials pointed out that aid – mostly food and water – was dropped off from 15,000ft. A significant number of this was destroyed on impact.
The images emerging from Iraq are painful to watch. On a political and humanitarian level, the situation has become critical. Another unacceptable compromise is something the citizens of Iraq can ill afford.
andre.deb@gmail.com