The Baghdad Pact (1955): Cold War Alliance, Kurdish Containment
- Dala Sarkis
- May 24
- 6 min read
Introduction
On 24 February 1955, Turkey and Iraq signed a mutual defence and security agreement in Baghdad that would evolve into the Baghdad Pact — a Cold War military alliance that brought together Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, and the United Kingdom under a Western-backed security umbrella. Officially known as the Middle East Treaty Organization (METO) and later the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO), the Baghdad Pact linked the Middle East to NATO through Turkey and to SEATO through Pakistan, creating a chain of anti-Soviet alliances across the southern rim of the USSR.
For the Kurdish people, the Baghdad Pact was a continuation of the pattern established by the Treaty of Saadabad (1937): the states that ruled Kurdistan uniting against Kurdish national aspirations. Three of the pact’s five members — Turkey, Iraq, and Iran — were the states that had partitioned Kurdistan. Their shared membership in a Western-backed military alliance gave them new resources, new intelligence-sharing capabilities, and new justification for suppressing Kurdish movements. The pact was designed to contain Soviet influence, but one of its practical effects was to contain Kurdish freedom.
Contents
What Was the Baghdad Pact?
The Baghdad Pact was a mutual defence and security alliance signed on 24 February 1955 between Turkey and Iraq, soon joined by the United Kingdom (4 April), Pakistan (1 July), and Iran (23 October). Headquartered in Baghdad, the pact created a Cold War military alliance across the ‘northern tier’ of Middle Eastern states bordering the Soviet Union. The United States, though heavily involved in its creation and a powerful associate member from 1956, never formally joined.
The pact was championed by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Said, who saw it as a way to tie Iraq to Western power and strengthen his position against regional rivals, particularly Egypt’s President Gamal Abdel Nasser. For Britain, the pact was a lifeline for its declining imperial influence, especially in protecting access to Gulf oil. For Turkey and Iran, it provided security guarantees against Soviet expansionism. The pact was essentially sponsored and orchestrated by Britain, whose declining empire demanded new tools of influence in the region.
Key Takeaways
• The Baghdad Pact united the three states that ruled Kurdistan — Turkey, Iraq, and Iran — in a Western-backed military alliance, giving them new resources for intelligence-sharing and coordinated suppression of Kurdish movements.
• The pact framed Kurdish national movements as Soviet-aligned threats to regional stability — allowing member states to justify anti-Kurdish operations as part of the Cold War struggle against communism.
• The pact included a ‘Counter-Subversion Committee’ that specifically targeted internal dissent — a category that included Kurdish resistance movements.
• The 1958 Iraqi revolution that overthrew the Hashemite monarchy ended Iraq’s membership — and briefly opened space for Kurdish political movements, including Mustafa Barzani’s return from Soviet exile.
Quick Facts
Alliance: Baghdad Pact (METO / CENTO) Date Signed: 24 February 1955 Members: Turkey, Iraq (until 1959), Iran (until 1979), Pakistan (until 1979), United Kingdom Associate: United States (from 1956; never formally joined) Type: Cold War military and mutual defence alliance Headquarters: Baghdad (1955–1958), Ankara (1958–1979) Kurdish Dimension: United three states ruling Kurdistan in a Western-backed alliance; Counter-Subversion Committee targeted internal dissent including Kurdish movements Key Figure: Nuri al-Said (Iraqi PM, chief Middle Eastern proponent) Iraq’s Exit: July 1958 revolution overthrew Hashemite monarchy; Iraq withdrew March 1959 Dissolved: 16 March 1979 (after Iranian Revolution)
Historical Context: Cold War Meets Kurdish Suppression
The Baghdad Pact was born from the intersection of Cold War geopolitics and the ongoing suppression of Kurdish national movements. In the early 1950s, the Soviet Union bordered Turkey and Iran, and Western strategists feared Soviet expansion into the oil-rich Middle East. The answer was a chain of military alliances — NATO in Europe, SEATO in Southeast Asia, and now the Baghdad Pact in the Middle East — to contain Soviet influence.
But for Turkey, Iraq, and Iran, the ‘Soviet threat’ and the ‘Kurdish threat’ were closely linked. The Republic of Mahabad (1946) had been sponsored by the Soviet Union. Mustafa Barzani had fled to Soviet exile after Mahabad’s fall. Kurdish movements were routinely labelled as communist-aligned by the governments that suppressed them. The Baghdad Pact gave these governments a new framework for casting Kurdish resistance as part of the global communist conspiracy — and new Western-supplied military resources to crush it.
The Kurdish Dimension: Containment Within and Without
The Baghdad Pact’s Counter-Subversion Committee was specifically designed to combat internal threats to member states — and Kurdish national movements were categorised as exactly such threats. The pact provided a framework for intelligence-sharing between Turkey, Iraq, and Iran on Kurdish activities, enabling coordinated cross-border operations against Kurdish fighters. Western military aid, supplied through the pact, equipped the armies that would be used against Kurdish populations.
The labelling of Kurdish movements as ‘Soviet-aligned subversion’ was particularly insidious. While it was true that the Soviet Union had supported the Republic of Mahabad and that Barzani was in Soviet exile, most Kurdish movements were motivated by national self-determination, not communist ideology. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), founded in 1946, sought Kurdish autonomy within Iraq — not the establishment of a communist state. But by framing Kurdish resistance as part of the Cold War, the Baghdad Pact allowed member states to suppress Kurdish movements with Western approval and Western weapons.
The 1958 Iraqi revolution that overthrew the Hashemite monarchy and killed Nuri al-Said dramatically changed the equation. The new revolutionary government under Abd al-Karim Qasim withdrew Iraq from the Baghdad Pact and initially pursued a more conciliatory policy toward the Kurds. Mustafa Barzani was permitted to return from Soviet exile. But this opening was short-lived: by 1961, the First Iraqi-Kurdish War had begun, and the cycle of promise and betrayal continued.
Timeline of Key Events
April 1954 — Turkey-Pakistan mutual cooperation treaty signed; precursor to Baghdad Pact.
24 February 1955 — Baghdad Pact signed by Turkey and Iraq.
1955 — UK, Pakistan, and Iran join; Iraq breaks diplomatic relations with Moscow.
1956 — United States joins as associate member; Counter-Subversion Committee established.
14 July 1958 — Iraqi revolution overthrows Hashemite monarchy; Nuri al-Said killed.
1958 — Mustafa Barzani returns from Soviet exile; Kurdish political space briefly opens.
March 1959 — Iraq formally withdraws from the Baghdad Pact; alliance renamed CENTO.
1979 — Iranian Revolution; CENTO dissolved.
Legacy and Significance for Kurdish History
The Baghdad Pact represents the moment when Western powers — Britain and the United States — became active participants in the containment of Kurdish aspirations. Where the Treaty of Saadabad (1937) had been a regional agreement between the states that ruled Kurdistan, the Baghdad Pact elevated anti-Kurdish cooperation to a global strategic framework. Kurdish resistance was no longer just an internal matter for Turkey, Iraq, and Iran — it was reframed as a front in the Cold War.
This Cold War framework had lasting consequences. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Kurdish movements found themselves caught between the superpowers, used and discarded by both sides. The United States supported Barzani’s Kurdish revolt in Iraq during the early 1970s — then abandoned the Kurds when Iran and Iraq reached the Algiers Agreement in 1975. The pattern of great-power betrayal that had begun at Sèvres and continued through Mahabad was now embedded in the Cold War itself.
The 1958 Iraqi revolution that shattered the Baghdad Pact briefly opened space for Kurdish politics — Barzani returned from exile and the KDP operated openly — but this window closed within three years. The lesson was clear: whether under pro-Western monarchies or revolutionary governments, the states that ruled Kurdistan consistently prioritised national unity over Kurdish rights. The Baghdad Pact was one more instrument in this long history of containment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Baghdad Pact?
A Cold War military alliance formed on 24 February 1955 between Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, and the United Kingdom. Later known as CENTO (Central Treaty Organization), it was designed to contain Soviet influence in the Middle East but also served to unite the states that ruled Kurdistan in a Western-backed framework for suppressing Kurdish national movements.
How did the Baghdad Pact affect the Kurds?
The pact united Turkey, Iraq, and Iran — the three states ruling Kurdistan — in a military alliance with Western backing. Its Counter-Subversion Committee enabled intelligence-sharing on Kurdish movements, and the Cold War framework allowed member states to suppress Kurdish resistance as ‘Soviet-aligned subversion’ with Western weapons and approval.
What ended the Baghdad Pact?
The 1958 Iraqi revolution destroyed the Baghdad Pact’s original configuration — Iraq withdrew in March 1959, and the alliance was renamed CENTO. It limped on until 1979, when the Iranian Revolution caused Iran’s withdrawal and the organisation was dissolved.
References and Further Reading
McDowall, D., A Modern History of the Kurds, I.B. Tauris, 2004.
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