Coming as Liberators

Kristian Ulrichsen believes that the politicians and planners behind the 2003 invasion ignored the lessons of the first British occupation of Iraq, which began with the capture of Baghdad from the Ottomans in 1917.

March 1917, British troops entering Baghdad.On March 11th, 1917, British and Indian soldiers of the Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force (MEF) marched into Baghdad and occupied it in order to restore order and halt the looting that had followed the city's evacuation by Ottoman forces the previous day. On March 12th, the War Cabinet in London authorized lieutenant-General Sir Stanley Maude, Commander-in-Chief of the MEF, to issue a proclamation to the inhabitants of Baghdad. This flowery document, drafted by Sir Mark Sykes in London, pledged that Our armies do not come into your cities and lands as conquerors or enemies, but as liberators'.

The language is strikingly similar to the rhetoric employed to justify the invasion of Iraq in 2003, nine decades later.

To continue reading this article you will need to purchase access to the online archive.

Buy Online Access  Buy Print & Archive Subscription

If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in.

Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.