Needstrat: The last King of Iraq

On 4 April 1939 Faisal II became King of Iraq upon his father King Ghazi’s death in a car accident. As he was only 4 years old, his uncle Abd al-Ilah was appointed regent. They all came from the Hashemite family which traces its roots to Prophet Muhammad. This gave them certain credibility even though they had no roots in Iraq. But the royal family leaned heavily on the British who had put Faisal I on the Iraqi throne in 1921. The British also put Hashemites on the throne in Jordan and Faisal II’s cousin Hussein ibn-Talal was King of Jordan.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Faisal2_5_edit1.jpg

King Faisal II about 5 years old.

The Iraqi political elite agreed on one thing, to become independent of Britain, but on little else. Many disliked the pro-British policy of the royal family. A coup d’état was made in 1941, but put down by British forces. Faisal's mother Queen Aliya, the last Queen of Iraq, smuggled him out of the country. He was educated in England. The pro-British Nuri as-Said was Prime Minister 14 times. Iraq was split between different groups. The older generation of politicians didn’t give younger politicians influence. President The Shias were against Pan-Arab policies of the Sunnis as they feared becoming a minority. The Kurds up north were seeking autonomy or independence.

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Prince Abd al-Ilah (holding hat) in the USA.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuri_As-Said

Prime Minister of Iraq Nuri al-Said.

In spite of all the political problems, Iraq prospered economically. Income from oil was increased after re-negotiations with foreign companies led to a 50-50 sharing of profit in 1952. The government made huge investments in public works like bridges, schools, hospitals, dams and irrigation projects. But the opposition criticized it for being long-term projects serving land-owners and tribal chiefs, not the population in general. In 1953 Faysal II came of age and was enthroned. His uncle al-Ilah was very politically active and a struggle ensued between them. In 1955 Iraq entered the Baghdad Pact a military alliance with Iran, Pakistan, the UK and Turkey. It was supported by the US in an attempt to contain the Soviet Union and block its access to influence the Middle East.

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Crowning of King Faisal II on 2 May 1953.

In 1952 a group of officers led by Nasser staged a coup in Egypt and abolished the Kingdom there. Nasser promoted Pan-Arabism - that all Arabs should unite in one state and become strong. Syria made a union with Egypt in February 1958, and Nasser had many supporters in Iraq, Jordan and other Arab countries. The Hashemites feared revolution in Iraq and Jordan and to be overthrown. So in February 1958 Iraq and Jordan joined in the Arab Federation led by Faisal II. In 1958 a group of officers overthrew the regime in a bloody coup and Faisal II, al-Ilah, as-Said and others were killed.