ABSTRACT
The separation of the imama of Oman from the sultanate of Muscat continued to be within the limits of what had been agreed in the treaty of al-Sib in 1920, that is to say in a state of ‘truce’. Precarious as it was, this state of things was accepted as ‘semi-natural’. There were no serious contacts between the rulers of the two entities but from the point of view of the populations there was no severance, other than a different allegiance. However, the status quo that Great Britain had created seemed no longer favourable to her strategy since the advent of the oil era in the region. The need for change was becoming imperative.
