Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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29 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Too Anonymous By Half., 2 Sep 2002
By A Customer
Oman' by John Beasant, claims to be `The True Life Drama And Intrigue Of An Arab State.' Having now waded through the rather turgid prose and potted history lessons I can only comment that there is precious little drama in the book, and the intrigue can be summed up as Middle East-Enders. You can almost hear the book talking in capital letters, punctuated with exclamation marks. In fact the book is liberally littered with the latter form of punctuation, which certainly caused this reviewer intense annoyance after a while. The core problem of the book is that it does not grip the reader's attention and is lamentably short on solid, verifiable facts. It relies on endless anecdotes of un-named senior Omani and British officials, ministers, members of the armed forces and so forth to tell its story. Regrettably, a wealth of anonymity does not lead to a wealth of credibility. No doubt the argument could be made that this anonymity is essential for personal security, but it also leaves the nasty suspicion that anything could be written and accredited to an anonymous senior member of the Royal Family or equally useful source which might offer collateral to the frankly dubious analysis that the book contains. The underlying premise of 'Oman' appears to be how Oman has suffered by the underhand and self-serving actions of a number of Britons who have become seriously rich post 1970 and the Sultan's accession to the throne. However, only 2 are analysed in any detail, and although are of some interest, do not justify the claim for Drama and Intrigue. Sorry about the capitals. Reading this book has tainted me. There are always people who make profits in the shadows. So what? The role of the British in the events of Sultan Qaboos' succession to power portrays them as duplicitous betrayers of Sultan bin Taimour whom the author clearly feels has had a rough historical ride. Most other historians of Oman have analysed Sultan bin Taimour as being far less pleasant, benevolent, wise and magnanimous than the book under review makes out. Indeed, 'Oman' is unique in all the histories that I have read, by also asserting that the current Sultan was merely a British puppet in the engineering of his father's removal, carrying out the devious requirements of (yet more) un-named Whitehall Mandarins. Sir Humphrey would have loved this book. In fairness, 'Oman' is at pains to seek some sort of balance by pointing out the innate intelligence and honesty of the current Sultan, the efficiency of the security and police services, and then refutes its own logic by explaining explicitly and really rather patronisingly that the Sultan is blind to what is alleged to be going on under his nose. You cannot have it both ways. Clearly mistakes have been made in Oman's past, and are still being made. I would love to know of a country where mistakes have not been made, and continue to be made. I'll book a one-way ticket tomorrow. Decisions were made which may not have been the best, and there has certainly been a degree of self-interest in the actions of Britons and Omanis alike. However, contrast Oman with Saudi Arabia and the actions and influence of Aramco, and the phrase "Get things into perspective" springs to mind. The book rather grandiosely begins its concluding section with: "History, contrary to common statement, does not in fact repeat itself. That is too simplistic a belief by far." The correct quote should be: "Those who do not learn from the mistakes of history are condemned to repeat them." It is all very well to quote the current aphorism, but it would be more relevant to take the correct quote and then analyse it in the context of what is happening today in Oman. There is more freedom of the press than other Arab societies. Check the web if you don't believe me. Oman is diversifying from oil as efficiently as it can, opening up tourism and fishing. Visas can now be obtained on entry to Seeb Airport, and the niche market of quality tourism shows reasonable growth in the post 9/11 climate. The allegation that "senior Omanis" (those anonymous senior Omanis again) are illegally fishing simply is not borne out or substantiated by any facts. Compared to other regimes in the region, the people have excellent outlets for expression of popular thought, and the Readers Forum of the two main newspapers bears this fact out...
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent book for those who know the country, 26 Dec 2002
I found this book absolutely fascinating having lived in Oman for five years 90 to 96 and wish I had been able to read this book while I was there, it would have made me more aware of the general political situation. Anyone who has lived in Oman or is thinking of doing so would enjoy this book. Its generally an easy read, though the points are a little labored. I have no way of judging its accuracy or if the interpretation of events are correct but many of the areas discussed I had heard rumors of, which was interesting in its self.
I have recommended it to several friends.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating story of a people moving on, 19 Mar 2008
I came across this book after I had spent 5 years in Oman, 2000 to 2004, and I enjoyed it immensely. The country had left me with a warm pack of memories and the book fed these sentiments. I was left believing the authors account of events as these being consistent with my own experience of the graciousness of the people and the rumours and stories which abound in Oman. A definite read for anyone who has lived in Oman or who may visit the country.
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