Britain and the Dhofar War in Oman, 1963–1976

This book explores Britain’s involvement in the Dhofar War of 1963-1976, focusing on the military aspects of this conflict in Southern Oman. It reveals how both the Conservative and Labour governments in office during this time provided military and security assistance to Oman’s rulers without parliamentary or press scrutiny. Based on archival material and witness accounts, as well as existing secondary source literature and memoirs, this study provides new insights into Britain’s clandestine embroilment in the Dhofar War, an often overlooked but historically significant intervention in the Middle East. This book will be a valuable resource for scholars and students interested in the complex and often controversial history of Britain’s involvement in Middle Eastern politics in the post-colonial period.
Geraint Hughes is Reader in Diplomatic and Military History at the Defence Studies Department of King’s College London, teaching at the Joint Services Command and Staff College, Shrivenham, UK. He is the author of Harold Wilson’s Cold War: The Labour Government and East-West Politics, 1964-1970 (2009) and My Enemy’s Enemy: Proxy Warfare in International Politics (2012).