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Radio War Nerd EP #215 — Dhofar Revolution + Lebanon in 1983 (Patreon)

Published:
2020-01-28 21:53:21
Edited:
2020-01-31 21:36:05
Imported:
2026-06
Tags:

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Content

Recorded: January 26, 2020

BANGKOK— With the recent death of Oman's longtime ruler Sultan Qaboos, the War Nerd and Ames recover the little known history of Oman, British colonial rule, and the forgotten leftist Dhofar Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s. 

But first: At 08:18 Ames quickly reviews Sam Mendes' WWI movie 1917 that everyone's going ga-ga over...

At 27:16 War Nerd tells the story of Oman, Qaboos, the Brits, and the Dhofar Revolution...

At 1:37:00 War Nerd and Ames discuss the humiliating US and Israeli debacles in early-1980s Lebanon—including the little-discussed April 1983 bombing of the US Embassy, which killed 8 CIA officers, possibly the worst one-day CIA loss in the agency's history. And weirdly underreported.

Maps & Images

*Oman

* Muscat & Sultanate

*Dhofar

*Muscat (Omani) Empire, 19th-c.

*Dhofar Revolutionary symbol (translated)

*Pro-Dhofar Revolution poster from 1970s Britain

*British propaganda poster: "The Hand of God Will Crush Communism"

Read: Monsoon Revolution by Abdel Razzaq Takriti

Watch: Oman Civil War - Dhofar Rebellion 

Listen: BBC Document on 1970 Oman Coup

Total time: 2:15:14

Direct link to this episode's mp3 here 

Files

Comments

Paul Vd

It would be cool to get some extended coverage on Irans counter attack on the US base and that whole situation. Plus the airliner that was shot down 6 hours later. What I know is that the jet was shot down intentionally. That flight was the most accurately within its flight corridor out of all the offs that day. Maybe it was a 5th column within the IRGC and Iran didn't want to disclose the security breach. So it admitted it. Another theory is that Iran did it on purpose. Ukraine publicly supported the QSM hit. It was a 737, it was very new , & it was insured and financed by the US. 63 Canadians on board. That's as close to Americans as they could get.

Nick Mould

Great overview of the Dhofar revolution. You rightfully mention the abundance of memoirs written by British military men on the counter insurgency and most of them are junk (regardless whether they were in the SAS or not). There is however, one worth reading by Ray Kane, the commander who led the coup d'etat against Sultan Said bin Taimur and was present in the palace when it occurred. His account differs considerably from the official sanitised narrative that was later reported, though I have seen contemporary documents which corroborate with Kane's account more closely. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/430174 It should also be mentioned that the accession of Qaboos was not without precedent, as there was a number of covert coups in former colonies/protectorates (or in Oman's case, a nation 'with a special relationship' with the UK) where the true extent of British involvement was obscured. In the Persian Gulf a few years earlier, the ruling Sheikhs of Sharjah and Abu Dhabi were both replaced by leaders who the British found more palatable to their objectives in the region. In Sharjah, the ruling Sheikh Saqr was ousted for being too sympathetic towards Arab nationalism, whereas Sheikh Shakhbut of Abu Dhabi was ridiculously medieval and uncooperative to British advice on developmentalism. Like in pre-Qaboos Oman there were no hospitals, schools or basic amenities in Abu Dhabi, despite it being the most oil rich of all the Trucial States (which became the UAE federation). Shakhbut even once remarked to the British Political Agent that he saw no need to build a hospital as his ‘people have lived here for thousands of years in perfect health‘. Abdel Razzaq Takriti recently published a great article on these coups here: https://academic.oup.com/ahr/article-abstract/124/3/878/5509795?redirectedFrom=fulltext

Simon

The audio link to the "BBC Document on 1970 Oman Coup" doesn't work.

Paul M

I very much agree with Mark's take on 1917. I won't go as far as to say walk out halfway through because it's still a very well-made film from a technical stand point. Staying for Roger Deakins shots of people at night silhouetted by flares and fires is ok. But the movie hits every cliché to an embarrassing degree. For those who have seen it, think about the milk. As for the point about caring about casualties, maybe being 1917 mattered it a bit in shaping attitudes. The generals really only seemed to care because it would be a strategic disaster to knowingly go into a trap (and use the brother in an emotionally manipulative way). Cumberbatch is set up as a guy who only cares about glory and then the twist (I guess) is that he wants to attack to finally end war. So, his character is ridiculous for a number of reasons. In conclusion, it's a fine movie, but leaves you feeling empty. I don't think you can be faulted for watching it, but it's not necessary. It reminds you of Dunkirk, but Dunkirk did it better.

Thomas Sankara

Sounds like Iran may have got Mike D’Andrea

Paul M

You mentioned this, but it would be great to have an episode on the 1979 takeover of the Grand Mosque in Mecca. Not only is it under covered as an event, my understanding is this in combination with the Iranian Revolution spurred the Saudis to begin funding of reactionary Islamist schools abroad in Pakistan and Indonesia. At a minimum, you could tell me if my understanding is dead wrong.

Brendan Work

I was fascinated by the character of Layla Fakhro and decided to do some looking around, and it turns out that the Lebanese filmmaker Heiny Srour very probably captured her on film in her 1974 documentary "The Hour of Liberation Has Arrived." Srour has some great insights on her time among the Dhofar revolutionaries in this interview here: https://www.screenslate.com/articles/90 And for Arabic listeners and French readers, Layla Fakhro can be seen at the midway point of the third part of Srour's documentary here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU6c49JrdFg Great episode, I learned a lot.

JoR

I know Mark and John touch on it occasionally, but a good episode topic could be going over big events that happen in the 70's/80's and how you two viewed it at the time as quasi/reluctant reactionaries. Since you both presumably followed these things heavily (such as the American disaster in lebanon) maybe you can do a segment of how you both viewed events like this and how it shaped both of your "awakenings" (for lack of a better term).

mark

A couple of corrections: first female suicide bombing was by a member of the ssnp and not an islamist - Sana' Mehaidli The assassin of bachir was also a member of the ssnp and not aphalangist - Habib Shartouni

Steve Mathews

Re:1917...the movie is crazy right away. The British general briefing the two doofuses...that wouldn't happen NOW...and we're WAY more democratic than they were. How on earth did you not mention this insane anachronism?

Steve Mathews

They look like Mitchell and Webb

Steve Mathews

Ok so the second guy is supposed to be the veteran, but he's freaked out by a head wound? Uh...no.

Steve Mathews

Wtf are these bright lights that they are able to produce on short notice?

Steve Mathews

Did anyone even use a flashlight prior to 2010? Lord these things are awesome. They didn't work at all in 1917.

Steve Mathews

This holding the rifle up thing is another anachronism of laser sights. Didn't help in 1917. Bayonet was more useful, and it should be kept at chest height.

Steve Mathews

The agricultural wisdom makes sense and shows insight. The cherry orchard stuff.

Steve Mathews

He's not dead...he's unconscious. I mean, leave him, but don't pretend he's dead...he might even wake up FFS

Steve Mathews

Oh, of course...just try hard and the truck will move. What would Celine say?

Steve Mathews

Noman's land was also no baby's land, guys...

Steve Mathews

Drowning men don't care about living people let alone dead ones.

Steve Mathews

Oh yeah, there was a lot of singing in the forest...what the f is wrong with Hollywood?

Steve Mathews

I guess they think since they do song n' dance numbers in their daily life others do too.

Steve Mathews

And everyone sits there and listens. Ba ha ha shut up douche.

Steve Mathews

If you have fixed bayonets on the march, half the unit is WIA before the attack. Duh.

Steve Mathews

Ok idiot collide with infantry with fixed bayonets and die. Jesus.

Steve Mathews

Oh the Germans planned it eh? Like a British colonel cares about any message a corporal carries? Ha ha!

Steve Mathews

This movie...first half, second half, whatever half...nonsense.

Steve Mathews

And it's over. Nothing even remotely like this ever happened, and I'm pissed that this lame therapeutic crap is what we will remember of a real war.