POLITICS OVER THE TIGRIS-EUPHRATES IN THE XIX. CENTURY: THE OTTOMAN- BRITISH STRUGGLE FOR INFLUENCE

45380

As Great Britain considered India “jewel in the crown”, the Ottoman Empire and Iran also received special interest by the Britain which tried to keep them in its sphere of influence as available markets and providers of raw materials. The Ottoman Empire, in turn, considered Great Britain as a valuable partner against Russian expansion and aggression. When Great Britain sought to control the Basra-Euphrates route as an important trade route to India, the Ottomans tried to follow a careful policy to avoid alienating the British while keeping their sovereignty in the region. While giving limited concessions in navigation of the Basra-Euphrates route to British companies, the Ottoman government also formed its own companies to compete with the British. The well-known issue of the British Lynch Company only represents the surface of a complicated relation of cooperation and rivalry between the Ottoman Empire and Great Britain to dominate the region. This study examines the efforts of Great Britain to gain influence in the region as manifested in the undertakings of the Lynch Company and the resistance shown to them by the Ottoman central government and its local agents during the nineteenth century.

905

Ottoman , Iraq , United Kingdom , Lynch , Basra

Abant Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi

930

Abant Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi