In the mid-1950s, the "Baghdad Pact" was announced, which included - along with Britain - Iraq, Turkey, Pakistan and Iran, with the aim of stopping the Soviet tide during the Cold War.

The Baghdad Pact is one of the causes of the 1958 coup that overthrew the monarchy in Iraq. On March 24, 1959, Abd al-Karim Qasim announced the withdrawal of Iraq from the alliance, which had not completed its fourth year, and its name changed to the "Central Alliance."

The origins of the alliance

Britain had influence in the Arab Mashreq region, and with the start of the Cold War between the Western camps led by America and the East led by the Soviet Union, the West saw that the Middle East should remain under domination and influence, which is the point of contact between the East and the West, as well as being rich in oil and resources, according to a professor of history. Contemporary political Iraq, Dr. Muayad Al-Wandawi.

On the other hand, Al-Wondawi notes - in his speech to Al-Jazeera Net - that the Arab peoples were witnessing a movement of liberation and independence to get rid of colonialism, as Egypt demanded to amend the 1936 Treaty in its favor at the expense of Britain, as did Iraq in the 1930 Treaty.

He indicates that the thinking was about how to persuade the Arab countries of the East to enter within the framework of some form of alliances with the West, with the aim of encircling the Soviet Union in the line extending from Afghanistan to Turkey, to prevent the spread of Marxist thought, and to counter any Russian attack towards Iraq and the Gulf.

But this project did not materialize, according to Al-Wundawi.

He explains that the West’s fears of the escalation of national and independent activity pushed them to try to preserve their survival in the region through American and British projects under the guise of providing economic and political support.

He adds that the security agreement between Turkey and Pakistan in 1954 is considered the nucleus of the Baghdad Pact project, and Iraq and Turkey soon entered into dialogue to reach a similar agreement.

Al-Wondawi: The security agreement between Turkey and Pakistan is the nucleus of the Baghdad Pact project (communication sites)

Baghdad Pact

Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Iraq and Britain agreed to be in a collective security alliance with American supervision, and the alliance convened in Baghdad in its first session, and that is why it was called the Baghdad Pact, according to Al-Wondawi.

Regarding the details of the agreement, the history professor says that Britain’s accession coincided with the end of the 1930 treaty with Iraq in April 1954, but America refused to join and was content with support and oversight.

It reveals the many negotiations that took place with Egypt under the leadership of Gamal Abdel Nasser to persuade it to join, but it refused, and the West was fully aware that if Egypt agreed, the Arabs would agree, and when Abdel Nasser was intransigent, they went to convince their allies in Baghdad.

On the Iraqi popular level, assistant professor of modern history, Dr. Sawsan Adel Naji, says that signing the alliance and ratification in the Iraqi National Assembly was met by popular opposition, and the slogan of the fall of the Baghdad Pact became a national slogan to preserve the unity of the Arab ranks, in addition to that the alliance is a grouping of blocs associated with the West This contradicts the policy of neutrality that the Iraqi National Movement believes in.

Jalloud believes that Iraq's motives in joining the Baghdad alliance were related to the nature of the alliance with Britain (Al-Jazeera Net)

Goals and activities

The head of the Political and Strategic Studies Department at the Center for Regional Studies at the University of Mosul, Dr. Mithaq Khairallah Jalloud, believes that one of the most important goals and motives for the formation of the Baghdad Pact is to stand in the face of the communist tide, as well as linking the largest possible number of Arab countries with a Middle Eastern alliance that goes beyond Arab unitary projects.

He adds to Al-Jazeera Net that Iraq's motives in joining this alliance were related to the nature of the alliance with Britain, as well as Iraq's desire to benefit from this alliance to obtain weapons.

Jalloud explains that the alliance consisted of administrative organs, foremost of which was the permanent council of the alliance based in Baghdad, as well as a general secretariat based in Baghdad as well, and several committees, the most important of which were: the military committee, the economic committee, and the communications committee, and it was agreed that the decisions of the alliance would be unanimous.

On the military level, the alliance did not carry out joint military activities except for military visits, training and supplying weapons to the alliance countries, while in the economic field, it formed sub-committees concerned with the economic sectors, but their actions were not clear and important, according to Jalloud.

Professor of the history of international relations, Dr. Musa Muhammad Toerish believes that the alliance was not able to effectively perform its required role due to the incompatibility of some regimes, especially Iraq and Iran, and the strong regional opposition pushed for the creation of internal opposition in these countries, such as the national activity led by Egypt and the communist activity led by the Soviet Union. .

Al-Jumaili: The British House of Commons discussions about the Baghdad Pact focused on its impact on the future of Israel (Al-Jazeera Net)

The future of Israel

For his part, Professor of Modern and Contemporary History, Dr. Saad Nassif Al-Jumaili, expresses his surprise that most of the discussions of the British House of Commons during the voting session on Britain's accession to the Baghdad Pact were about the impact of this alliance on the future of Israel in the region, and the session did not deal with confronting the Soviet advance except with a signal. Simple.

Iraq, Britain, and the United States tried to push the Arab countries to enter the alliance, but these attempts did not see the light. On the contrary, they pushed some Arab countries to stand against those of the alliance, especially Egypt and Saudi Arabia, according to Jalloud.

In his interview with Al-Jazeera Net, Touerish attributes the reasons for the Arab countries ’refusal to join the alliance, especially Egypt and Saudi Arabia, to the competition for leadership in the region, and their strong hostility to the political system in Iraq, especially Nuri al-Saeed, who was the focus of international and regional politics in the region.

He warns that this alliance supported Iraq as a regional power, and this aroused the jealousy and hatred of some Arab brothers, and they began to fabricate obstacles and obstacles, and these activities succeeded in toppling the monarchy in Iraq in 1958.

Demonstration in Baghdad in support of the military coup against the monarchy in Iraq in 1958 (Getty Images - Archive)

Impact of the alliance

The Baghdad Pact contributed to fueling the political conflict between the Arab countries and inciting each country against the other, according to Al-Wundawi. It also encouraged Egypt and Syria to unite under the name of the United Arab Republic, and in return Baghdad and Amman agreed to form the Arab Union, which also failed.

And at the level of Iraq, the alliance led to the divergence of Iraqi public opinion from its political leadership, especially after the tripartite aggression on Egypt, where demonstrations began in Iraq and were calling for Nuri Al-Saeed to withdraw from the Baghdad Pact, but he was satisfied with announcing the suspension of Britain's participation in NATO meetings in an attempt to calm the Iraqi street. He pointed out that this was one of the reasons for the end of the monarchy in Iraq.

Abdul Karim Qasim, after turning against the monarchy in Iraq, withdrew from the Baghdad Pact (Getty Images - Archive)

Iraq withdraw

Iraq withdrew from the alliance on March 24, 1959, as Abdul Karim Qasim adopted a neutral policy and established diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union, according to what Dr. Sawsan spoke to Al-Jazeera Net, who praised that bright image that expressed the people's awareness, especially the youth, for what he planned It was sought by the West by trying to enter Iraq into an alliance that offers no benefit other than consecrating the interests of the West, and the people were able to thwart it.

Jalloud attributed the reason why Iraq did not withdraw from the alliance immediately after the July Revolution in 1958 to absorb the resentment of the West, Turkey and Iran from the new situation, but after establishing the foundations of governance, Iraq withdrew, so the alliance was emptied of its basic content for which it was formed, which is the formation of a Middle Eastern alliance that includes the largest number possible. From Arab countries.

While Dr. Tariq Muhammad Thanun Al-Tai, who specializes in strategy and international relations, points out that after the withdrawal of Iraq from the alliance, the name no longer applies to him, in addition to the fact that the headquarters of the alliance was no longer in Baghdad, and it was transferred to Turkey, as the name was changed from the Baghdad Pact to Central Treaty Organization.

Al-Taie talked to Al-Jazeera Net about the great obstacles that the alliance faced since its inception, as Pakistan did not obtain the support of the alliance in its war with India in Kashmir, and Turkey lost Western military aid after its control of Northern Cyprus in 1974, and that was followed by the fall of the Shah's regime in Iran and the change of ideological trends in it. And moving away from the West, and all that led to the end of the alliance in 1979.

While Al-Jumaili summarizes to Al-Jazeera Net the reasons for the Baghdad Pact’s setback with Egyptian propaganda, the failure of Jordan’s accession to the alliance, and the decline of British influence in the Arab region.