The Kurdish Question in the Documents of the League of Nations (1924-1932)

Abstract

Following World War, I and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, a fierce conflict arose between Britain (as the mandatory power in Iraq) and Turkey (as the Ottoman successor) over the fate of the Mosul Vilayet. This conflict turned the "Kurdish Question" into one of the major issues within the League of Nations. This study highlights that critical period in which the Kurds, representing the demographic majority of the region, were used as leverage in an international conflict that ultimately determined the political map of the region. Furthermore, it pays special attention to analyzing the transformation of Kurdish identity from an international perspective: transitioning from a demographic and statistical issue in 1924 to a legal and minority rights dossier in 1932. To present this topic, the research is divided into four main sections: The first section presents the Mosul conflict and the use of demographic statistics as a pressure card. The second section analyzes the legal frameworks of the 1926 Treaty and the establishment of guarantees. The third section is dedicated to presenting the emergence of protests and the delivery of Kurdish petitions to the Mandates Commission (1930-1932). Finally, the research reaches several key conclusions, including: Britain pursued a policy of "political pragmatism" in Iraq; on the one hand, it exploited Kurdish aspirations to separate Mosul from Turkey, while on the other hand, after securing its own interests, it diluted the international guarantees provided to the Kurds. Ultimately, the 1925 report by the League of Nations' Commission of Inquiry laid an international legal foundation for Kurdish identity, establishing that Kurds are neither Turks nor Arabs, but rather a distinct people with their own national characteristics. Despite this, the League of Nations' failure to protect the very guarantees it had established resulted in an "uncertain fate" for the Kurds following Iraq's independence in 1932, the repercussions of which persist to this day.