The British Labour Movement and the Campaign for Democratic and Human Rights in Iraq, 1984-2010

This project will analyse the creation of foreign policy in the British Labour movement both out of and in government with an eye to democracy and human rights promotion in Iraq. Seeking to answer questions regarding the changing focus of the Labour movement and the reorientation of British national interest, it will make extensive use of the newly donated archive of Ann Clwyd, Labour MP for Cynon Valley from 1984-2019. Ann Clwyd chaired the Committee Against Repression and for Democratic Rights in Iraq, was a staunch advocate for Kurdish national and human rights, and was a key actor in the Blair government's path towards the 2003 Iraq War.