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An expert in the history of the Sultanate of Oman, Majid Al-Khalili provides new information and a fresh analysis of the lands bordering the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman. Beginning with an examination the reign of Sultan Qaboos bin Said, as well as the sultanate's geography and how location has influenced its history, Oman's Foreign Policy: Foundation and Practice analyzes OmanÕs foreign relations from the early 20th century until the beginning of the 21st century, providing the background to recent events.

Following an analysis of the sultanate's "renaissance" in the 1970s and 1980s, the book considers how Oman's foreign policy changed in the wake of the 1991 Gulf War. It also examines historic power rivalries in the region, as well as modern conflicts that now include Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. The result is a comprehensive understanding of Oman's place in the Middle East—and its influence upon the world's changing power structure.

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This book reassesses the reign of Sa'id bin Taymur, who was deposed by his son, Qabus bin Sa'id, in a coup in July 1970.Contemporary historiography of the period of Sa'id's rule (1932-1970) views Oman as medieval and isolationist; Qabus' later government is seen as progressive and enlightened, with his ascendancy to the throne often described as the 'rebirth of Oman' from its 'medieval slumber' into a thriving and prosperous Sultanate. This study refutes the prevailing view that Sa'id's four-decade reign should be perceived as a place where time stood still. The author offers a critical look at the economic, political, social and cultural aspects of Oman during the reign of Sa'id bin Taymur.The book mainly focuses on tribe-state relations, emphasizing their dynamic interaction, with particular attention paid to the relationships between the tribal groups. Uzi Rabi's book reinterprets a significant timescale in the modern history of the Arabian Peninsula and pre-oil societies, and will be essential reading for both students and scholars of Middle Eastern history, culture and society. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Emergence of States in a Tribal Society
In The Emergence of States in a Tribal Society, Rabi, a lecturer in history at Tel Aviv University, provides a history of Oman during the rule of Sa'id bin Taymur (1932-70). Using British documents, European travel accounts, a handful of Omani chronicles, and a smattering of Arabic newspapers published outside Oman, Rabi challenges conventional wisdom depicting Sa'id's authoritarian rule as harsh and backward, if not medieval.

Instead, Rabi argues that Sa'id was skilled and capable, even if not progressive. While he unified and stabilized a divided, tribal, and economically bankrupt society, Rabi suggests he had little choice but to resist British pressure to reform in order to preserve his unified domain's tenuous balance.

The narrative is straightforward, and Rabi's writing clear. After an introductory chapter explaining both the tribal and political backdrop to Omani society and the growth of British political influence, Rabi lays out a basic political and diplomatic history, beginning with Sa'id's inheritance of the country, continuing through the unification of the Sultanate of Muscat with the Imamate of Oman, and culminating in the challenge from the communist-inspired Dhofar rebellion.

Whereas British authorities and, for that matter, other Arab leaders saw Sa'id as detached and uninterested, Rabi argues that he recognized economic autonomy to be key to preserving Oman's independence in the face of the British challenge. Rabi depicts Sa'id as a skillful tactician who preserved Omani territorial claims, even in the face of an expansionist Saudi kingdom. As he traces Oman's development, though, reliance on British sources may not be enough. Imperial Iran played a crucial role in crushing the Dhofar rebellion, and its documents--many published and, therefore accessible even to an Israeli author--bear exploitation.

While The Emergence of States in a Tribal Society is a useful chronicle, Rabi's attempt to redefine Sa'id's legacy feels forced. That an autocrat can make a camel train run on time should not absolve him of questions about his backwardness. Around the Persian Gulf, Sa'id's contemporaries faced similar problems but, rather than crush modernity, many embraced it.

In Iran, for example, like Oman a state in which the British exerted influence but not direct control, Reza Shah both crushed tribal separatism and embraced modernizing reforms. And, if Sa'id's tactics were necessary to hold the state together, then why did Oman not fall apart when his son and current leader Sultan Qabus bin Sa'id seized power on July 23, 1970? After all, the younger Sa'id immediately ushered in reforms that the Omani population embraced.

While academic culture promotes revisionism, sometimes conventional wisdom is rooted in reality. Nevertheless, for those interested in this unexplored but formative period in Omani political history and not put off by his tome's unnecessarily high price, Rabi has put together a useful study of an often ignored time and place.

Michael Rubin
Middle East Quarterly
Summer 2007 ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs, published by Thomson Gale on August 1, 2006. The length of the article is 11177 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

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Title: Proposed U.S.-Oman free trade agreement.(CRS Report for Congress: Received through the CRS Web)
Author: Mary Jane Bolle
Publication: Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs (Report)
Date: August 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Page: NA

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This digital document is an article from Iraq Telecom, published by Information Gatekeepers, Inc. on May 1, 2009. The length of the article is 756 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

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Title: renna launches mobile services in Oman.(OMAN)
Author: Unavailable
Publication: Iraq Telecom (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 1, 2009
Publisher: Information Gatekeepers, Inc.
Volume: 7Issue: 5Page: 7(3)

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Completely updated and revised for this new edition, our unique electronic book on two CD-ROMs has an amazing collection of the finest federal documents and resources about Oman, providing encyclopedic coverage of all aspects of the country. This disc set provides a truly fantastic reference source, with over one hundred thousand pages reproduced in Adobe Acrobat format! There is complete coverage of newsworthy material about Oman, including U.S. relations, doing business, Clinton Administration, Gulf of Oman, U.S. Oman Free Trade Agreement, Country Commercial Guide, Energy, Oil and Natural Gas, agriculture, and more.This incredible and comprehensive series on the countries of the world contains material from the State Department, Department of Defense, White House, and cabinet agencies including Agriculture, Energy, and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.There is complete information about geography, people, government, the economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues.In addition to the nation-specific material, as a bonus we have included reports about every country on the globe, with 271 nations, dependent areas, and other entities identified by the Central Intelligence Agency. The CIA World Factbook is considered an invaluable world encyclopedia reference book.This incredible two CD-ROM set is packed with over 100,000 pages reproduced using Adobe Acrobat PDF software - allowing direct viewing on Windows and Macintosh systems. The Acrobat cataloging technology adds enormous value and uncommon functionality to this impressive collection of government documents and material. ... Read more

Product Description
Completely updated and revised for this new edition, our unique electronic book on two CD-ROMs has an amazing collection of the finest federal documents and resources about Oman, providing encyclopedic coverage of all aspects of the country. This disc set provides a truly fantastic reference source, with over one hundred thousand pages reproduced in Adobe Acrobat format! There is complete coverage of newsworthy material about Oman, including U.S. relations, doing business, Clinton Administration, Gulf of Oman, U.S. Oman Free Trade Agreement, Country Commercial Guide, Energy, Oil and Natural Gas, agriculture, and more.This incredible and comprehensive series on the countries of the world contains material from the State Department, Department of Defense, White House, and cabinet agencies including Agriculture, Energy, and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.There is complete information about geography, people, government, the economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues.In addition to the nation-specific material, as a bonus we have included reports about every country on the globe, with 271 nations, dependent areas, and other entities identified by the Central Intelligence Agency. The CIA World Factbook is considered an invaluable world encyclopedia reference book.This incredible two CD-ROM set is packed with over 100,000 pages reproduced using Adobe Acrobat PDF software - allowing direct viewing on Windows and Macintosh systems. The Acrobat cataloging technology adds enormous value and uncommon functionality to this impressive collection of government documents and material. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from APS Diplomat Redrawing the Islamic Map, published by Pam Stein/Input Solutions on November 20, 2000. The length of the article is 595 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

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Title: OMAN - The Background Of Ibadism.(Brief Article)
Publication: APS Diplomat Redrawing the Islamic Map (Newsletter)
Date: November 20, 2000
Publisher: Pam Stein/Input Solutions
Volume: 40Issue: 5Page: NA

Article Type: Brief Article

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This digital document is an article from APS Diplomat Redrawing the Islamic Map, published by Pam Stein/Input Solutions on November 20, 2000. The length of the article is 599 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

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Title: OMAN - The Changing Muslim Parties - Part 11.(Brief Article)
Publication: APS Diplomat Redrawing the Islamic Map (Newsletter)
Date: November 20, 2000
Publisher: Pam Stein/Input Solutions
Volume: 40Issue: 5Page: NA

Article Type: Brief Article

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This digital document is an article from APS Diplomat Redrawing the Islamic Map, published by Pam Stein/Input Solutions on November 20, 2000. The length of the article is 820 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

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Title: OMAN - A Balanced Approach.(religion and state)(Brief Article)
Publication: APS Diplomat Redrawing the Islamic Map (Newsletter)
Date: November 20, 2000
Publisher: Pam Stein/Input Solutions
Volume: 40Issue: 5Page: NA

Article Type: Brief Article

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This digital document is an article from APS Diplomat Redrawing the Islamic Map, published by Pam Stein/Input Solutions on November 20, 2000. The length of the article is 462 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: OMAN - No Room For Militancy.(Brief Article)
Publication: APS Diplomat Redrawing the Islamic Map (Newsletter)
Date: November 20, 2000
Publisher: Pam Stein/Input Solutions
Volume: 40Issue: 5Page: NA

Article Type: Brief Article

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This digital document is an article from Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, published by U.S. Government Printing Office on January 5, 2009. The length of the article is 1298 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

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Title: Proclamation 8332--to implement the United States-Oman free trade agreement.(Week Ending Friday, January 2, 2009)
Author: George W. Bush
Publication: Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents (Newsletter)
Date: January 5, 2009
Publisher: U.S. Government Printing Office
Volume: 44Issue: 52Page: 1587(3)

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more

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The first book to systematically analyze the foreign policy of the Sultanate in any lanuage. ... Read more

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Oman Royal Police Handbook ... Read more