The Dhofar Rebellion: Influence of External Powers on Counterinsurgency

This thesis endeavors to understand the significant role that external power influence plays on the success of a nations counterinsurgency strategy. Specifically, this thesis looks at the Dhofar Rebellion in Oman (19651975) as it pulled great powers of the 20th century into an insurgency fought on the Southern Arabian Peninsula and demonstrates the significant role that these powers played in the eventual outcome. The sociopolitical conditions in the Dhofar region of Oman that set the stage for the rebellion are important in order to determine the root cause that ignited the conflict. Many authors have already written on the Dhofar Rebellion from a purely counterinsurgency perspective. This thesis endeavors to consider the significant influence that the support provided by nations external to the conflict have on the outcome of an insurgency, and it concludes that success or failure of the insurgency can be determined by this level of support or lack thereof rather than solely by military operations.