Cold War Implications in the 1950s: Foreign Policy Changes in Iraq and Spain

Both Iraq and Spain had gone through a dramatic break down of democracy in the middle of the twentieth century. Although the democratic application of the Second Spanish Republic (1931-1939) was way different from the Nori As-Said government of Iraq, the course of foreign policy of both Qassim’s Iraq and Franco’s Spain were almost the same.
While Qassim ended the alliance with Britain and the West, to a communist pro-Soviet policy, Franco took the opposite direction from a communist republic to a capitalist dictatorship.
This study aims to explore the transition in foreign policy in Qassim’s Iraq and the 1950s Spain. How would the dictators strengthen their internal domination by forming alliances with the opponents of the previous regimes.
Focusing on the events of the Cold War, this study compares the Iraqi case with Spain. It shows how Qassim approached the USSR for technical, military and economic aid to sustain his regime and to avoid the hegemony of Egypt led by the charismatic Nasser. It also analyses how the US led the reintroduction of Franco to the international community after a decade of boycotting Spain.
Evidence to this analysis is shown through the cases of the Kurds and Basque nations. The Kurds were hosted, trained and supported by the USSR until they clashed with Qassim. Basque leaders thought the free world would support their quest for self-determination, however Franco was the only guarantor for Spain not to retrieve its socialist and communist republic.