Iraq and the Euphrates Valley Railway Project A Historical Study in Light of British Reports

Abstract

Historically, Iraq by the virtue of its important and distinctive position became increasingly attractive to ancient commercial routes, whether it was a passage or stoppage point. That prompted Great Britain to concentrate its attention on Mesopotamia in order to take advantage of strategic benefits that Iraq might offer. However, in the nineteenth century, Britain sought to find a relatively shorter route to link between itself and its eastern colonies, in particular, those existed in India. In 1856, a proposal of establishing Euphrates valley railway came into focus. The purpose of that project was to link Mediterranean east coast with Arabian Gulf and India via Syria and Iraq. The reasons behind British government's reluctance of implementing this proposal could be attributed to their fear of engaging in unforeseen consequences and the heavy financial burdens.  As for Iraq , it was then a part of the State of Othman Empire, so Othman authority agreed and expressed its approval concerning the project in Iraq. Therefore, It strongly prompted the British government to move forward to implement it for the economic benefits that can be yielded when executed. Besides, it could be employed to strengthen the government influence in all over the country. Despite the proposal was put up for discussion in 1871-1872 and 1909, but the main goal of the proposal was to fend off the growing influence of Russia, France and Germany in the area. Apparently, there was no true desire to carry on that proposal.