Oman - John Beasant

The Sultante of Oman is a country often described as one of the most secretive in the world. Following ten years' residency there, John Beasant began to delve into the country's little-documented political history, paying particular attention to the Palace Coup of 1970 and the events which followed - a story which Edward Heath once commented would 'not be told in our lifetime'.

Beasant's research proved that Oman's much-touted period of 'Renaissance', peddled so furiously by the Sultanate's spin doctors, was merely a cosmetic facade of high-rise buildings and new roads, made possible by high oil revenues. A veil of self-serving secrecy concealed the reality that the governance of the Sultanate continued to be conducted along autocratic, medieval lines. The royal court contained a cabal of ex-military officers who not only fashioned a hold over the country's new ruler with a dominance that resembled their imperial predecessors', but also enriched themselves to such a degree that their conduct threatens to have a destabilising effect on the nation itself.

Beasant reveals a web of exploitation woven through all manner of political and commercial interests. He casts light on the dark practices so often involved in the sale of arms to Middle Eastern states and illustrates the political use to which the sale of 'black gold' - oil - can be put.

Omanis very much a parable of our times, detailing rivalry and intrigue between people in high places. It is one of the most dramatic tales in Arab history: a chronicle of personal pride, rapacious greed and undiluted lust for power.