Governance, Custom and the Tribal Conundrum in British Manadory Iraq

James Redman

The arrival of Britain in Iraq during the First World War presented the Empire with a host of difficulties, not the least of which was the restoration of order following the withdrawal of the Sultan's armies. In the absence of a viable government, a makeshift mandate was adapted from the existent Indian Acts, with only slight and ineffectual modifications, in order to address the ambiguities of the resident tribal populations. Yet the impact of this decree cannot be fully appreciated unless it is contextualized within the framework of customary tribal modes of authority and conflict resolution. The proceeding analysis is an attempt to resolve this disconnect via the application of ethnographic principles, both in theory and recorded practice, to the historical record. Consequently, this multi-disciplinary approach will highlight the inadequacies of this particular colonial project and call into question its claims that it adhered to indigenous values or realities.

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