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List of Maps
Acknowledgments
A Note on Transliteration
Glossary
List of Abbreviations
Introduction
One Historical Structures in Oman
Two The
Reign of Sa’id, 1932–1952
Three The Creation of the Unified Tribal
State,
1955–1959
Four The Unified Tribal State, 1960–1964:
Two Different Versions of the State
Five The Discovery of Oil and the Dhufar
Rebellion:
The End of the Unified Tribal State,
November 1964–July 1970
Conclusion
Notes
Select Bibliography
Index
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“Rabi examines the complex method employed by which Taymur
brought about the integration of the several tribes intro a more
unified political system while simultaneously and cautiously using
the oil revenue without reducing the state’s adherence to
Islamic principles of governance… The author is to be commended
for the intricacy of his coverage of the social and anthropological
aspects of the historical development of this portion of the Persian
Gulf. This effort will undoubtedly become a basic reading requirement
for an appreciation of the historical development of modern Oman.”
Digest of Middle East Studies
“Rabi presents a fascinating account
and, indeed, a striking reassessment of the long reign of Sultan
Sa’id bin Taymur.
Earlier studies for the most part dismissed the reign of Sa’id
as “medieval and isolationist,” and regarded the government
that succeeded it under Sa’id’s English-educated son,
Qabus, as “progressive and enlightened.” Rabi has studied
closely Sa’id’s reign, and convincingly asserts that
his government “proved to be a responsive administration that
adjusted itself to political and socioeconomic challenges.”
Under Sa’id, Muscat and Oman were united as “the Sultanate
of Muscat and Oman.” In 1964, oil in commercial quantities
was discovered in Oman, increasing dramatically the income of the
state, yet Sa’id seemed less than able to deal with some of
the demands of the time. As his son, Qabus put it: “I have
watched with growing dismay and increasing anger the inability
of my father to use the new found wealth of this country for the
needs
of its people.” On 26 July 1970, Qabus, joined by others in
Oman, led a coup and sent Sa’id into exile. Although Sa’id’s
38-year reign ended in personal disaster, his accomplishments were
important, and Rabi makes a strong case for them. Highly recommended.” Choice
“Uzi Rabi’s study reassesses the four-decade reign
of Sa’id bin Taymur (1932–1970), usually depicted as
an uninspiring interlude in the history of the sultanate of Oman
and of minimal interest to academics. Scholars have generally
perceived
the coup of July 1970 – whereby Sultan Qabus bin Sa’id, the
current ruler of Oman, deposed his father, Sa’id bin Taymur
– as a watershed event denoting a systematic change from tradition
to modernity in Omani politics. Rabi’s study maintains that
Qabus’s rule should be regarded as another phase in a continuing
progression of state building in Oman. In this sense, Sa’id
was not a medieval, isolationist despot but a complex ruler seeking
to serve his society and government as he understood them; he
maintained
Oman’s financial viability, guarded the country’s independence,
resolved the issue of the imamate, and provided the foundation
for Qabus to integrate two rival versions of the state prevalent
in
the 1960s – Sa’id’s tribal state and the British one.
… The reader is left with three models
of the state, which provide an element of clarity and around which
the historical events
from 1932 to 1970 are organized and explained. Such an inductive
approach provides a wealth of material, contributes to middle-level
theory building, and avoids the error of overreaching
generalizations. To students and scholars of Oman, this book provides
comprehensive and fascinating data related to a little known and
often neglected period of modern Omani history. Recommended for
libraries, graduate students, professors, researchers, and policymakers
interested in contemporary Middle Eastern studies.” International
Journal of Middle East Studies
“Uzi Rabi has written
a historically detailed but theoretically nuanced study of the evolution
of Oman under the rulership of Sa’id bin Taymur. Rabi deploys
a wide array of archival sources to overturn previous historiography
that portrayed Sa’id as a medieval despot, intent on keeping
Oman isolated from the wider world. Instead Rabi describes a complex
figure who understood his society and the constraints within which
he was working. Rabi argues that Sa’id slowly but successfully
created a United Tribal State, an administration that unified Oman
while negotiating with powerful forces within Omani society. Rabi
contrasts this approach with that desired by British diplomats and
explains how the Sultan successfully managed to secure London’s
financial and military assistance without undermining his vision
for how Oman should evolve. Rabi makes a strong case for an extensive
rethinking of Sa’id’s role in the building of the Omani
state. From this perspective it is Sa’id and not the present
ruler Qaboos who becomes the father of the modern Omani state.”
Toby Dodge, Lecturer in Politics, Queen Mary, University of
London, Senior Consulting Fellow for the Middle East at the International
Institute for Strategic Studies
“Sa’id Bin Taymur’s successor
and current Sultan of Oman, Qaboos bin Sa’id, set out to reinvent
a country his father isolated, after Britain agreed to help him
usher in sorely needed economic reforms. In this painstakingly documented
study, Uzi Rabi argues that Sa’id bin Taymur (1910–1972)
was not negligent and, in fact, should be considered the (silent)
father of the ‘New Oman’. According to Rabi, Sa’id
was unnecessarily maligned, even though his thirty-eight-year rule
was problematic. Rabi provides us with a thorough analysis of how
Sa’id forged the Unified Tribal State (chapter 3), anchoring
everyone around himself as ruler; in one sense, Sa’id may
well have understood the value of the illusion of power as much
as raw force. Some of the best work in the book are Sa’id’s
detailed views of various tribal leaders and Imami aspirants: Sa’id’s
appreciation of internal tribal politics was exceptional, even if
his suspicion of everyone resulted in difficult relationships.”
The International History Review |
