Britain's economic policy in the Middle East in the 20th century: The Iraq example

To understand England's policies in the Middle East, it is important to first look at its relations with the Ottoman Empire. During this period, this geography belonged to the Ottoman Empire. Official relations between the two states began in the 16th century, when the first British ambassador came to Istanbul. In the beginning, Ottoman-British relations continued as friendly relations, with England gaining privileges. However, due to changing views over time, the friendship between the two states ended and turned into conflict from 1875 onwards. There were many factors effective in this process, but changes in the balance of power and relations of interest were the most important. England became a great power with the Industrial Revolution, had a say in world politics and began to enter the Middle East. The Middle East region, which still maintains its importance today, has an important structure in terms of its historical identity, religious importance, geographical location, and political and economic structure. Therefore, many elements and policies that want to own the region have continued from the past to the present. England continued its activities in many regions in this geography for its own interests. While policies were initially carried out to protect the colonies, over time the riches offered by the geography and the existence of oil made the region even more attractive. Many administrative and economic policies were implemented, especially in Iraq. Iraq's economic, political, strategic and political importance came to the fore at this point. In the first part of the study, Ottoman-British relations and the events in this process were explained. In the second part, the geography of the Middle East and the historical process of England in the Middle East were touched upon. In the third chapter, the issue was discussed specifically in Iraq and the administrative and economic policies of the Iraqi region and England in the region were included. It was aimed to contribute to the literature with this study, Key Words: Ottoman Empire, England, Economy, Trade, Middle East, Iraq, Oil, British policies