The Case for an 'Interim Peace-Sustainable Peace' Dichotomy from the Middle East: Reconsidering Mosul Arbitration at its Centenary

Abstract

OKUR, Mehmet Akif, The Case for an 'Interim Peace-Sustainable Peace' Dichotomy from the Middle East: Reconsidering Mosul Arbitration at its Centenary, CTAD, Year 19, Issue 37 (Spring 2023), pp. 231 -259. This article offers dual concepts of interim peace and sustainable peace to analyze the nature of state-building and boundary drawing activities. The historical and legal story of the Mosul Vilayet issue of the early 20th century will be examined as a case study reflecting the conditions of sustainability/unsustainability of peace. The simple acceptance of the arbitral decisions by the involved parties without active resistance has been seen as enough to reach interim peace even if the consent is obtained under military threat. On the contrary, sustainable peace emerges out of just treaties made free from fears of imminent destruction and requires that the long-term costs of arbitral decisions over the people who live in the domains of the conflict should be taken into consideration. Throughout the paper, after introducing these twin concepts, the theoretical origins of the debates on the unequal treaties, and the historical and legal foundations of the criticism about the Mosul arbitration are presented. This study's arguments are grounded in the conceptual and critical interpretation of the official documents and other relevant legal and historiographic sources. The last part of the article is devoted to the enduring humanitarian costs of the perpetuated 'interim peace' in the Mosul Vilayet from coups, civil wars, invasions to the rise of ISIS and beyond.