Overview
- Takes a multidisciplinary approach spanning legal history, Islamic law, political history and anthropology
- Provides valuable guidance for conflict resolution in the Middle East
- Timely account of historical Oman at the end of the Qaboos era
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About this book
This book traces the development of Oman's inclusive agreements and highlights their importance for international negotiations, dealing with issues most relevant to humanity's own survival today, nuclear weapons or climate change.
In Oman, a historical seafaring nation on the south-eastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, a culture of agreement that accommodates the interests of everyone has developed around the division of scarce water resources.
Life in the arid inland of the Omani Hajar mountains would not have been possible without water. Irrigation channel (falaj) construction is extremely old and skilful therein. Local practices evolved around the division of water and land on the basis of fairness. The community would be best served by inclusion and the avoidance of conflict.
A specific Islamic school called Ibadi arrived at Oman early on in the eighth century. Ibadi scholars conserved local practices. Consultation and mediation by sheikhs and the religiousleader, Imam, became the law of the land. The Omanis were known as the People of Consultation, Ahl Al Shura.
In time, the practice of inclusive agreements would extend far beyond the village level, affecting Oman´s foreign policy under Sultan Qaboos. Oman´s water diplomacy succeeded in uniting the contestants of the Middle East Peace Process in the 1990s to work together on common problems of water desalination.
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Table of contents (8 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Katariina Simonen holds a LLD degree in public international law from the University of Turku. She is currently a postdoctoral research fellow at the Department of World Cultures, University of Helsinki, and adjunct professor at the National Defence University. She is also Council Member of Nobel Laureate (1995) Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs. Her research interests focus on Iran nuclear negotiations, international security, sanctions and arms control. In addition to her academic career, she has held various government positions in the Finnish Government, European Union and NATO.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Ancient Water Agreements, Tribal Law and Ibadism
Book Subtitle: Sources of Inspiration for the Middle East Desalination Research Centre – and Beyond?
Authors: Katariina Simonen
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85218-4
Publisher: Springer Cham
eBook Packages: Law and Criminology, Law and Criminology (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-85217-7Published: 20 October 2021
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-85220-7Published: 21 October 2022
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-85218-4Published: 19 October 2021
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: IX, 191
Number of Illustrations: 1 b/w illustrations, 7 illustrations in colour
Topics: Theories of Law, Philosophy of Law, Legal History, Legal History, Human Rights, Islam, Diplomacy, Middle Eastern Politics