Occupation and Sovereignty: Britain and Iran’s Road to the United Nations, 1941–1946

Abstract:
During the Second World War, Britain was the key member of an alliance fighting for democ- racy and a free world from the occupying forc- es of Germany in Europe and of Japan in the Far East. At the same time, somewhat ironically, Britain had the uncomfortable position of being an occupying force in Iran. A few months after the invasion of Iran, the concept of the United Nations was sketched out by President Frank- lin D Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill in December 1941. While notions of inter-governmental cooperation and the pro- tection of liberty were the cornerstones of this international organisation, Britain actively and deliberately intervened in a neutral country and bypassed Iran’s national sovereignty in order to prioritise its needs. By keeping to the time- frame of Britain’s occupation of Iran, “Occupa- tion and Sovereignty” examines not only this uncomfortable dichotomy, but also the implica- tions of British governmental attitude towards Iran’s eventual membership to the United Nations in 1945.

Bio:

Rowena Abdul Razak received her DPhil in Oriental Studies from the University of Oxford where she looked at the Tudeh Party in British policy during the Second World War and early Cold War. She is currently a Guest Teacher at the London School of Economics and Political Science.