[1] Muhammad Naji Shawkat was born to an Arabized family of Georgian[2] origins in the Iraqi town of al-Kut where his father was stationed as provincial governor.

[1] Naji Shawkat was the assistant general prosecutor in the Iraqi city of al-Hila when World War I broke out, upon which he interrupted his legal career and joined the Ottoman army as a reserve officer.

After two years of involvement in the Ottoman military defense of Iraq, Shawkat was captured by the advancing British troops in March 1917.

Faced with strong opposition from within the Iraqi political establishment and the anti-treaty campaign, Shawkat's government lasted only five months.

Thereafter, he was appointed as representative of Iraq in Ankara where he cultivated strong relations with the Turkish ruling circles and developed a sense of admiration for modern Turkey.