Middle East in WWI Pt 18 Spoils of War Spoils of War. Since the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916, France and Great Britain have planned to carve up the Ottoman Empire between them. On August 20, 1919, the Treaty of Sevres strips the Ottoman Empire of all its holdings outside Anatolia, except for a small piece of European land. France and Great Britain claim huge areas of Ottoman territory as "spheres of influence" in the Middle East, and guarantee British control of oil supplies in Iraq. On paper, the Armenians are promised an independent republic. Kemal's nationalists reject the treaty as they prepare to fight British, Armenian, French, and Greek invaders. Show Less >>