‘Our Smallest Ally’: Britain and the Failure of Assyrian Self-Determination, 1930–1932

As with other minorities, Assyrians found themselves caught up in the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the creation of modern Iraq. Rather than opposing colonial rule, they sought to gain recognition by attaching themselves to Britain’s imperial project in Iraq hoping to be viewed as a Christian outpost in a Muslim-dominated region. As the petitions presented to the League of Nations between 1930–1932 show, this position proved problematic. The appeals went to the heart of the conflict over self-determination between Britain and the Assyrian communities, revealing how the League’s forward-looking ideals clashed with their function to legitimise imperial rule. The petitions are an intriguing insight into the tensions between competing notions of Assyrian and Iraqi nationalism, exposing tensions within the Anglican church between sympathy for Assyrian aspirations and the support for British policy.