Iraq ,Turkmens and Kirkuk after British Occupation in 1918

Across the world, there are very few communities that have lost their sovereignty and rights in a region and become minority by constitution in less than a hundred years. Evaluating the history of the world from past to present, it can be observed that many communities started to claim their rights and establish their countries after the French revolution. The Iraqi Turkmen are one of the rare communities in history who lost their rights in a short time since they completed their identity formation processes late. Another reason for losing their rights in such a short time is that they reside in a geography that harbors conflicts of interest among great powers of the world. By the late 19th century, the majority of the population in Kirkuk and Mosul consisted of the Turkmen who adopted the principle of living peacefully with minorities in the society. Nevertheless, they began to lose their constitutional rights as of the 20th century due to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the eastern policies of the Great Britain and the United States. And today, they are accepted only in minority status in the current Iraqi Constitution. This postgraduate thesis will elaborate on how Kirkuk and the Turkmen have suffered losses in terms of their constitutional rights since the beginning of the 20th century. In addition, answers of the following questions will be sought: What kind of foreign policies were followed by Turkey in this process with regard to the Turkmen and Kirkuk? At what stage did the Kirkuk Turkmen suffer loss of rights? What was the situation of the Turkmen in the region as the Iraqi governments had changed over time?