Western Economic Interests in Ottoman Iraq 1894-1914
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City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 9-2016 Conflict and Cooperation: Western Economic Interests in Ottoman Iraq 1894-1914 Jameel N. Haque The Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/1473 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] CONFLICT AND COOPERATION: WESTERN ECONOMIC INTERESTS IN OTTOMAN IRAQ 1894-1914 BY JAMEEL HAQUE A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2016 ©2016 JAMEEL HAQUE All Rights Reserved ii Conflict and Cooperation: Western Economic Interests in Ottoman Iraq 1894-1914 By Jameel Haque This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in History in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy ________________ ______________________________ Date Professor Elena Frangakis-Syrett Chair of Examining Committee ________________ ______________________________ Date Professor Helena Rosenblatt Executive Office Professor Joshua Freeman Professor Dina Le Gall Professor Simon Davis Professor Mandana Limbert Supervisory Committee The Graduate Center of The City University of New York iii ABSTRACT Conflict and Cooperation: Western Economic Interests in Ottoman Iraq 1894-1914 By Jameel Haque Advisor: Elena Frangakis-Syrett This dissertation investigates underutilized U.S. archival sources in order to discuss certain aspects of late Ottoman history in Baghdad and Basra, between 1894 and 1914. Since these sources have been underutilized, their inclusion will widen the scope of possible historical investigation in the study of Late Ottoman Baghdad and Basra. This research will suggest that, in this period, there was an expanding role/presence for America and Americans that is not currently reflected in the historiography. This should, of course, be qualified since Americans and American interests in the region, although on the increase, were still significantly less than those of other nations. However, as the global economy expanded, the U.S. imported increasing amounts of raw materials from the Ottoman Empire. Due to the same economic forces, U.S. investors also began to see Baghdad and Basra as possible sites for significant financial investment and development in infrastructure projects. These infrastructure projects are examined in the dissertation as are American trade with the Ottoman State and the role of the U.S. Department of State in fostering and expanding these economic activities. Crimes committed by and against Americans are also investigated as both instances of economic activity and of conflict and cooperation. This study seeks to augment established points on a variety of issues concerning the Ottoman Empire. These issues include the degree to which the Ottoman iv Empire was centralizing, and the implementation of some of the 19th century, Tanzimat era reforms during the early 20th century. Finally, this dissertation discusses the role of inter-imperial competition in Ottoman Iraq. The Ottoman State was able to, in line with existing literature, profit from and exploit inter-imperial competition. Negotiations over large scale infrastructure projects showed the Ottomans as savvy negotiators, able and willing to use one Western group against another. Likewise, Westerners and in particular, Americans worked with and against each other and Ottomans within the Ottoman Empire and economy. The conflicts and cooperation that occurred between among Western and Ottoman economic agents is examined, particularly as it relates to the licorice trade, the date trade, criminal activity and infrastructure. Methodologically, this dissertation uses archival sources to examine historical economic activities. These economic activities are framed as being examples of conflict and cooperation. By examining conflict and cooperation carefully, this dissertation focuses on the underlying historical relationships between economic interests. v Acknowledgements I would like to thank the many people who have helped me during this long process. Professor Elena Frangakis-Syrett for her help, guidance and patience. I also want to thank the History Department at Minnesota State University, Mankato for their patience with this process. Of course, my greatest thanks go to my wife, Professor Danielle Haque and our children Omar and Zain…without you, this process would have seemed too remote and too stressful to complete. vi Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1 ....................................................................................................................................... 32 Chapter 2 ....................................................................................................................................... 64 Chapter 3 ..................................................................................................................................... 114 Chapter 4 ..................................................................................................................................... 173 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 209 Appendix: Prosopography .......................................................................................................... 222 Foreign Terms ............................................................................................................................. 231 Addendum ................................................................................................................................... 232 Bibliography and Archives ......................................................................................................... 236 vii List of Figures Figure 1 The Frontispiece to Redwood’s book, Petroleum. The red dots represent large deposits of Petroleum .................................................................................................................................. 88 Figure 2 Close up of the Frontispiece to Redwood’s book, Petroleum. The red dots represent large deposits of Petroleum ........................................................................................................... 89 Figure 3 Examples of tablets excavated at Niffur by American led digs. Currently housed at the Istanbul Archaeology Museums. Picture is by the author. ......................................................... 233 Figure 4 The statue stolen by Banks at Bismaya. There is no mention of the controversy surrounding its excavation in this display. Currently housed at the Istanbul Archaeology Museums. Picture is by the author. ............................................................................................. 234 Figure 5 Close up of statue stolen by Banks at Bismaya. Note that the head and the body were discovered separately, exposing Banks’ original attempt at keeping the statue a secret. Currently housed at the Istanbul Archaeology Museums. Picture is by the author. ................................... 235 viii List of Tables Table 1 List of Importers .............................................................................................................. 56 Table 2 Trade with Baghdad ....................................................................................................... 120 Table 3 Trade with Basra ............................................................................................................ 121 Table 4 Export Inquiries to U.S. Vice Consulate in Baghdad November 1894-August 1907 ... 232 ix Introduction 1 This dissertation delves into previously overlooked U.S. archival sources, which are augmented with British archival sources, as a means to illuminate the economic activities, primarily of Westerners, in Ottoman Baghdad and Basra between the years 1894-1914. The sources used investigate economic activities of the period, the economic conditions of the region, economic disputes, complicated infrastructure projects, and crimes committed upon and by Westerners to argue critical points about American and British activities in the Ottoman Empire and to engage with existing literature on aspects of Ottoman governance. The economic activities investigated include the seeking of small and large scale infrastructure concessions from the Ottoman state, trade promotion, the export trade in dates and licorice, as well as, brigandage, burglary, and the legal and illegal activities of American archaeologists. While the lives of Westerners in Ottoman Iraq were typically mundane, on occasion they were the victims or perpetrators of crime. These crimes are economic as well, as they are mostly acts of robbery and/or of smuggling. Many of these same crimes are also evidence of brigandage, a violent and well documented trend throughout the Ottoman Empire in this period. These events are well recorded in the archival record and these instances of conflicts, compromise and/or negotiation that arose amongst and between Westerners