第一次世界大战与英国对库尔德斯坦政策的嬗变(1914—1918)

WWI and the Evolvement of British Policy towards Kurdistan

一战前,为了维护英国在奥斯曼帝国的政治与商业利益,英国政府致力于维持奥斯曼帝国的政治稳定与领土完整,对库尔德人独立的政治要求采取了不支持政策。一战爆发后,英国对库尔德人的政策发生了重大转向。英国不但要求分割奥斯曼帝国,而且于1918年直接出兵占领了南库尔德斯坦。英国政策的转变,除了与国际地缘政治环境的剧变、石油的战略价值有直接的关联以外,一定程度上也是库尔德人主观政治诉求的结果。从本质上来说,从一战前不支持库尔德人独立到战时直接占领南库尔德斯坦,英国对库尔德人的未来发展并没有明确的政策导向,这种转变仅仅是维护其战时战略、政治与经济利益的权益之计,对战后英国的中东外交产生了严重负面影响,也为战后库尔德人悲惨历史命运的开启埋下了伏笔。

Before WWI,in order to maintain its political and business interests in the Ottoman Empire,the UK was committed to maintaining the political stability and territorial integrity of the Ottoman Empire and refused to support the political demand for independence among the Kurds.After the outbreak of WWI,Britain began to adjust the policy towards the Kurds in the Middle East.Britain demanded the division of the Ottoman Empire,and occupied directly southern Kurdistan in 1918.The transition of the British policy toward Kurdistan had a direct link to many factors,including the change in international geopolitical environment,the strategic value of oil and the Kurdish subjective political demands.In essence,from not supporting Kurds'independence before the war to wartime occupation of southern Kurdistan.Britain did not have clear policy guidance for the future development of the Kurds in the Middle East.The shift is just to maintain their wartime strategy and political and economic interests.However,it has serious negative effect on post-war British Middle East diplomacy and lays foundation for the tragic historical destiny of the Kurds.