The shaky foundations of the 1926 annexation of Southern Kurdistan to Iraq

Abstract

Between 1921 and 1925, the Kurds of Southern Kurdistan participated in three main political ‎processes in Iraq. These processes were the election of Faisal Ibn Hussein as the King of Iraq ‎in 1921, the election of the Iraqi Constituent Assembly in 1924, and the Mosul Province ‎referendum organised by the League of Nations in 1925. The British used the Kurds’ ‎participation as a foundation for the annexation of Southern Kurdistan to Iraq. However, this ‎article argues that these three processes cannot be considered as legitimate foundations as the ‎majority of Kurds voted against these processes or were excluded from participation.