英國與伊朗外交關係中的伊拉克問題(1921-1929)

Iran’s Recognition of Iraq in Anglo-Iranian Relations 1921-1929

本文探討1920年代英國、伊朗、伊拉克的外交關係，特別有關伊朗是否承認在英國控管之下的伊拉克一事。第一次世界大戰爆發之前，英俄兩國箝制伊朗與鄂圖曼帝國的發展。當大戰爆發之後，伊朗選擇中立，鄂圖曼帝國加入德國的同盟國陣營，對抗英國的協約國陣營。戰爭期間，幾件事情對戰後局勢影響深遠，例如美國總統威爾遜提倡「民族自決」、俄國蘇維埃勢力崛起且主張退出戰場，還有協約國商議對戰敗國領土與殖民地的「委任託管」。英國因蘇俄退出後獲得全面控制伊朗的機會，但1921年起逐漸取得伊朗政權的軍人禮薩汗，致力於整合國家，壓制與英國關係緊密的地方勢力。禮薩汗藉削弱英國影響力，展現其「民族自決」。戰後鄂圖曼帝國戰敗，其領土遭到英法瓜分。戰勝國成立的國際聯盟，將美索不達米亞「委任託管」給英國，於1921年創建伊拉克。當地阿拉伯人激烈抵抗，也是展現了「民族自決」。不過，伊朗與鄂圖曼帝國曾爭奪過美索不達米亞，以致於當英國要主導該地區的局勢時，伊朗不願承認伊拉克的存在以示對英國的抵抗。1924年《英國與伊拉克司法協議》簽署，讓伊拉克境內的歐美人士，可延續擁有鄂圖曼帝國時期的特權。伊朗聲稱伊拉克境內的伊朗人也應擁有特權，也強調若要伊朗承認伊拉克，就必須廢除該司法協議。英國駐兩伊的外交人員見情況僵滯，連帶兩伊之間其他事務，例如邊界劃分，都難有進展，故對英國政府表示應廢除該司法協議，至少讓伊朗承認伊拉克，以鬆動僵持不下的狀態，有助於改善英國與伊朗關係。1929年2月中，英國政府宣布廢除《英國與伊拉克司法協議》，伊朗旋即在4月底承認伊拉克。

This article explores the diplomatic relationships between Britain, Iran, and Iraq, and the issue of Iran’s recognition of Iraq. Before World War I, Iran and the Ottoman Empire were both under pressure from Britain and Russia. At the outbreak of the war, Iran declared its neutrality while the Ottomans joined the Triple Alliance against Britain and its allies. During the war, Woodrow Wilson, the American president, promoted the concept of‘self-determination,’which inspired oppressed nations to resist imperialist powers. After the war, the future Iranian Shah Colonel Reza Khan stablised his country and unified it by suppressing certain local powers who had been too close to the British since the nineteenth century. Reza Khan’s goal was not simply to bind the country together but also to eliminate the British influence in Iran. Meanwhile, the defeat of the Ottoman Empire was followed by the Anglo-French occupation of Mesopotamia and the Levant, both of which were later granted as‘mandates’to the two European powers by the League of Nations. Britain created the new state of Iraq in Mesopotamia in 1921. However, the Iranian government refused to recognize Iraq, owing to their country’s earlier dispute with the Ottoman Empire over the demarcation of Iran’s borders, especially those with the Ottomans’Mesopotamian territories. Iran’s government also hoped to prevent Britain from gaining a hegemonic position in western Asia. In 1924 the Anglo-Iraqi Judicial Agreement was signed. The agreement stipulated that foreign nationals of Europe and America would the same privileges that they had during Ottoman rule. Iran argued that their nationals in Iraq should also be covered by the agreement, and promised to recognize Iraq if this demand were met. The British representatives in Iran and Iraq all reported to their government that abolishing the agreement would be the only means of inducing Iran to recognize Iraq, and that this would also improve Anglo-Iranian relations. The British government announced that the agreement was annulled in early 1929, and Iran recognized Iraq shortly thereafter.