Sir Abdul Muhsin al-Sa‘doun, KCMG (; 1879 – 13 November 1929) was an Iraqi politician who served as Prime Minister of Iraq on four occasions between 1922 and 1929.
Background and early career
Abd al-Muhsin al-Sa'doun hailed from a family descended from the Sa'douns, the most powerful tribe within the Muntafiq Confederation. In the mid-nineteenth century, the Ottoman Empire fostered rivalries between the dominant Sa'dun chiefs by offering enticing land deals to the highest bidders among them, pursuant to a policy of tribal weakening and division. In 1871 Midhat Pasha finally split the chiefs in two between "Ottomanizers" and their opponents by offering some chiefs permanent ownership of once communal tribal lands, when, previously, they could only exact tribute from farmers. The tribal chiefs then grew very wealthy by converting the rest of the tribe into tenant farmers for their exploitation. Afterward, he returned to Iraq and embarked on a career as an influential politician.
Time in Parliament
Al-Sa'dun was a shrewd politician with many tribal and British connections, as demonstrated by his control over the Parliamentary alliance known as the Progressives. This made him one of King Faisal's most bitter rivals, as he frequently acted as an instrument of British supremacy over the Iraqi interests Faisal was trying to pursue. Then, in 1926, he assured the application of the unequal twenty-five-year "Financial and Military Agreement" between Iraq and Britain in spite of its unpopularity.
During his third term as prime minister, al-Sa'doun also negotiated the Treaty of Ankara in which Iraq promised to pay Turkey 10% of its revenues from the Mosul oil fields in return for Turkish recognition of Iraqi control of the area. By December 1928, popular protest over British domination of Iraq had become more fervid, and al-Sa'doun began to support King Faisal's demands for more autonomy. He resigned in protest in January 1929.
Legacy
In his memory, the street where he was died became known officially as "al-Sa'doun Street" and a bronze statue dedicated to him was built in the street.