Deconstructing the Sykes-Picot Myth: Frontiers, Boundaries, Borders and the Evolution of Ottoman Territoriality

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the emergence of the Sykes-Picot order and deconstructits mythologization by proposing an evolutionary assessment of borderunderstanding. This study addresses the following primary research questions:How did the interplay of domestic, regional, and international developmentslay the groundwork for the formation of the Sykes-Picot territorial order? Howwas the administrative structure and regional divisions before the Sykes-Picotagreement and to which border categorizations did these structures correspond?Was the Sykes-Picot agreement the only international intervention that affectedthe borders of the region or were there other international interventions beforethe Sykes-Picot agreement? This study argues that the history of Middle Easternborder formation is not only an international one but also involves many aspectsthat have not widely been taken into consideration. In doing so, this paper adoptsa critical historical perspective to analyze the evolution of Middle Easternborders. This paper proposes a three-tracked evolutionary analytical framework(frontiers, boundaries, borders) to analyze the emergence of borders and appliesit to the emergence of Ottoman territoriality. This study concludes that theSykes-Picot agreement is only one, complementary part of a long process in theemergence of Middle Eastern geopolitics.