Abstract:

 Britain had to adjust its traditional Middle East policies after the outbreak of World War I. According to the wartime multilateral agreements dominated by Britain, Kurdistan was partitioned by Britain, France and Russia. This arrangement met British demand for reestablishing Middle East defense. Out of strategic and economic interests, despite the armistice signed with the Ottoman Empire, the AngloIndian allied army captured the Southern Kurdistan that was under the control of France according to the wartime agreements. Confronted with the pressure of disarmament and expenditure cutting, Britain was unable to impose direct control in these areas, thus fostering a proBritish Kurdish autonomous government serving as the strategic buffer zone in the northern Mesopotamia. Treaty of Sevres affirmed the autonomy of the Kurdish national government. However, with the development of Turkey's national liberation movement and the changing domestic and international environment that influenced Britain's decisionmaking, Britain discarded the Kurdish autonomous program in the end.
Key words：

Key words:  , Kurdistan｜ Middle East policy｜ Treaty of Sevres｜ the issue of Kurds