The British Monarchy - the Iraqi perspective

September 2022.....little did we know at the start of the year that this month would be one of monumental change for the United Kingdom. I think it goes without saying that the country felt a collective spasm of disorientation when Queen Elizabeth II passed away rather suddenly and unexpectedly.

Normally, the British Monarchy is never at the forefront of people's minds, yet the sudden demise of the head of state brought the sometimes revered institution front and centre stage. I wouldn't say that I was an ardent monarchist by any stretch of the imagination but the sense of history was palpable as the news broke. It was at that moment that, at least for a few days, the whole nature of the Monarchy and what it meant was brought into sharp focus.

First a bit of background about me. A child of Baghdad, my father left Iraq when I was barely 2 years old. We moved to the UK and have been here ever since. That's 40 years or so, growing up and being assimilated into British culture. I still have a sense of belonging to Iraq and would say I am a British - Iraqi by definition.

I thought this would be an interesting opportunity for me to give my perspective on the Royal Family, from a non British angle. Without doubt, Britain had created one of history's most formidable empires. It is easy to see why Brits feel a sense of pride in their nation and what they have achieved over the recent centuries. I would be the same if I was in their shoes.

We can't of course forget some of the more negative aspects of the British Empire, and the colonial tendencies that defined it. The domination of foreign territories and resource extraction was a big source of wealth that slowly accumulated over the ages, often at the expense of the host nation.

Yet somehow, reflecting over my time growing up in the UK, I can't help but feel a sense of envy regarding the stabilising force that the Monarchy has provided these Isles. I get quite depressed when I see the current state of Iraq and wonder what sort of country it really could have been had it fulfilled at least some of its potential. I imagine what could have been had we a similar institution that acted as a centre of gravity for society. I'm sure many other countries marvel at the British talent for societal and constitutional organisation. It is this love of rules and convention, that I feel made the British natural empire builders and administrators. They have a penchant for order and governance which has stood them extremely well both home and abroad.

The concept and notion of Monarchy is deeply embedded and ingrained within UK history, one senses it's not a thing that could be easily dislodged.

I wonder then if we had a similar institution in Iraq, maybe we could have avoided the near 40 years of conflict that has plagued the country since I left. Perhaps an Iraqi monarchy would have acted as a counter weight to the aberrations of our previous rulers. Of course, Iraq did have a monarchy but as is the norm for Iraqi history, it didn't last long (37 years) and was overthrown in a coup.

Perhaps if us Iraqis had wanted the fledgling Monarchy badly enough we would not have overthrown it in the first place. There is a lot to be said for stability and continuity that the UK has so long enjoyed, and what us Iraqis would have done with it.

It is as always, one of these "what if" moments in history.