Title: British Imperialism in Iraq, 1914-1932: asking for trouble
Author: ANN GOWER MATTERS
Place of publication: Australia
Publisher: Flinders University, School of History and International Relations
Release date: 2016

This thesis shows that the institutional blockages created by a system of government characterised by a proliferation of departments working largely independently, but with overlapping and conflicting areas of responsibility, substantially hampered the formulation of a clear and consistent British war-time policy for Mesopotamia. The post-war allocation of the League of Nations mandate for Mesopotamia accorded with Britain’s aim to rule Iraq indirectly. However, indecision and confusion at the higher levels of government persisted, partly due to suspicions regarding the authority of the League. The decision in 1923 to ‘quit’ the mandate early was, however, accompanied by mis-steps and unintended consequences. Ultimately, despite the ideals of liberal internationalism, Britain turned back to mid-Victorian forms of informal imperialism in order to secure British interests in ‘independent’ Iraq by means of a treaty, unfettered by the responsibilities and costs of the mandate, and the unwanted scrutiny of the League of Nations.[1]