Qatif-Trucial War

The 1971 Qatifi Crisis was a period of political instability, upheaval and conflict in Qatif. The crisis's roots can be traced back to the 1961 coup in which military general Mustafa al-Karim overthrew the Sultan of Qatif Al-Qa'im ibn al-Aziz ibn Mohammed al-Tahir during the Tabawa Revolution, and subsequently established an. al-Karim's policy on land reform, secularisation and nationalisation of several business angered previous supporters of the royalist regime as well as former western aligned Qatifi allies such as the. Following the which left the al-Karim government politically weak a group of royalist formed the covert underground group known as the Resurgence Movement, which aimed to bring the Sultan back into power and the dismantlement of the socialist regime. In 1970 following the election of as  the Resurgence Movement was able to secure US backing for a coup against al-Karim.

The coup took place in March 1971 where al-Karim was attending a state visit to. The Resurgence Movement with military support from the US, UK and took control of the capital Al-Khatt causing many members of the socialist regime to flee to the second largest city in Qatif, Al-Tuwaiq. al-Karim returned to Qatif with military backing from as well as receive support from, ,  and. This enabled the socialist government along with the loyalist members of the armed forces to wage a brutal war against royalist forces over the country. In June al-Karim secured military aid from the, causing the US to increase aid to the royalist government which was ruled by a reinstated Sultan Al-Qa'im al-Tahir and military chief Jamil Abdul. However, in September the royalist government began to collapse as many of its military forces defected to the socialists as well as popular discontent encouraging action to be taken against the royalist regime. The US and the UK withdrew support in early November after Al-Khatt was taken by socialist forces. The crisis officially ended with the capture of Abdul in late November and the return to socialist rule. Following this return al-Karim had many of the royalist leaders executed as well as put the Sultan under house arrest for the rest of his life. A subsequent purge saw any potential dissidents killed, imprisoned or tortured, with the socialist government beginning to receive a large amount of financial backing from the Soviet Union.

The 1971 Qatifi crisis also saw the previously unpopular socialist government invest more into building infrastructure and social programs as well as cut back of austerity measures and lessen some of the more extreme secular practices. The crisis has remained controversial in Qatifi history, with the brutal treatment of the rebel forces especially having been debated as a necessary precaution or a hyperbolic scare tactic. After the crisis Qatif was left economically weak and dependent on its Arab neighbours as well as the Soviet Union, with major economic growth in Qatif only really taking place ten years later. The role of foreign powers including alleged and  involvement has also sparked controversy.

Background
Until 1917 Qatif had been a vassal state of the, and was unique in the fact that the majority of its inhabitants practiced. The Qatifi Sultanate was entirely dependent on Ottoman protection to survive as it was relatively with many inhabitants keeping to traditional nomadic ways of life. During the as it became clear that the Allied forces would secure a victory Sultan Al-Aziz ibn Mohammed al-Tahir pledged allegiance to British forces, with Qatif becoming a protectorate of Britain after the war. The British encouraged the Sultanate to modernise after oil was discovered on the eastern coast, although the Sultans conservative leadership prevented this.

In 1947 Sultan Al-Qa'im ibn al-Aziz ibn Mohammed al-Tahir came to power. Widely seen as a moderniser in the vain of of Iran, Al-Qa'im implemented greater industrialisation into Qatif whilst still retaining the same land rights that had existed under the feudal government. One of Al-Qa'im's most notable reforms was the creation of the Western styled Parliament of Qatif with elections held in 1953 that saw the Conservative Party of Qatif create the first democratically elected government of Qatif, although voting was limited to the upper echelons of Qatfi society. More conservative critics opposed his reforms seeing them as too liberal and western-orientated, whilst others stated that progress was still slow and that greater measures could be taken place to modernise Qatif. Some other critics derided the Sultn for his perceived appeasement towards foreign imperialism mainly from Britain, especially in regards for his support of the Anglo-Qatifi Oil Corporation (AQOC), a nominally joint enterprise widely believed to have been in actuality completely run by the British. Worst of all Al-Qa'im begun to face increased resistance from within the Majlis, a group of unelected Islamic who dictated the majority of legislation in Qatif, after he announced to extend voting rights to all men over the age of 23. In order to appease the Majlis Al-Qa'im had several leftist, pro-unionist political parties banned, most notably the Communist Party of Qatif and the Qatifi Labour Party as well as the local branch of the in Qatif. In 1948 the Qatifi regional branch of the was formed by Nasser bin Mutaib that sought to incorporate Qatif into a much larger  state, and quickly gained support among some of the urban community in Qatif. Elections in early October in 1961 saw bin Mutaib lead a coalition of approved leftist parties to take power within parliament, despite objections from the Majlis on the Ba'ath Party's legal status.

Soon bin Mutaib called for the dissolution of the Majlis and several British companies in Qatif such as AQOC, which was steadfastly refused by the Sultan. Failing this bin Mutaib instead campaigned for the rewriting of the Qatifi constitution which he saw as undemocratic. Encouraged by the Majlis and the British government, the Sultan also refused these demands, creating a political deadlock to appear in Qatif with neither party wishing to compromise. This political stagnation combined with rampant, , , and attitudes in the royal court saw several radical Ba'athists and members of the Communist Party stage several riots in the city of Tabawa. These riots son formed into what became known as the Tabawa Revolution with protests erupting around country, some in support of the monarchy, others the leftist government. The military led by general Mustafa al-Karim encouraged the Sultan to issue a state of emergency, but the Sultan reasoned that the protesters could be crushed ordering police forces to adopt ever more militaristic and brutal tactics against the protesters. Meanwhile the leftist government was beginning to splinter apart as more moderate members split from the radical supporters of the revolt, with bin Mutaib filing to keep the coalition together.

Eventually on the 12th December 1961 general al-Karim and a cadre of military officers in order to break this deadlock was able to stage a successful coup against Al-Qa'im who was exiled to where he was welcomed by. al-Karim also liquidated the the Ba'aath Party's regional branch in Qatif, imprisoning many of its members and putting down the protests through deploying the military. A transitional government headed by the military was formed with al-Karim dismissing the Majlis. During transitional rule al-Karim reformed what was left of the Ba'ath party in Qatif into the Arab Socialist Union of Qatif which aimed to create a  state whilst stressing  views. This enabled al-Karim to gain the support of Arab and, as well as the already large portions of the military under his control. al-Karim also switched Qatif's international alliances by cutting aid from Britain and Iran instead receiving support from and other Arab states. al-Karim also withdrew Qatif from to highlight his policy of non alignment. In 1962 the Islamic Arab Republic of Qatif was formally created with al-Karim as its first president.

During this time al-Karim began an ambitious plan of land reform which saw property owned by the former ruling elite nationalised by the government. Other key industries in Qatif were also placed under state control, as well as and  being implemented. The government also began a ruthless process of secularisation with numerous mosques closed down, Islamic clothing banned and many being refused the right to leave the country to practice the. al-Karim was seen by the western world to be a dangerous, and a heretic by many Muslims in Gulf States. Despite aiding many of the urban poor, increasing the rights of women and inspiring a sense of the al-Karim government remained unpopular mostly among the older, more  community.

In 1967 al-Karim had Qatif join, , , , and in the  against. The crushing defeat of Arab forces severely weakened al-Karim's standing in Qatif, with many starting to doubt his political competency, as well as the previous Arab nationalist rhetoric being filtered out due to the humiliation of the Six Days War. al-Karim also began to increase persecution against who were gaining popularity as the Arab socialist movement started to fade.

In 1970 the government of Qatif in accordance with the 1967 five years plan announced intentions to nationalise the AQOC. This prompted the British government to declare sanctions against Qatif that were followed by the US and other members. The socialist government was able to successfully nationalise the AQOC, but soon found that with numerous sanctions placed upon it that the Qatifi economy was fast approaching collapse. In response to this the socialist government drastically increased measures in Qatif as well as implement  into the rural areas of Qatif. These measures whilst deemed economically required nonetheless were received harshly by the general populace with discontent of the government becoming widespread.

It is thought that the Resurgence Movement (officially known as the Congress for the Restoration and Rehabilitation of Qatif) was formed around 1968 by foreign minister Jamil Abdul and senior military officer Othman al-Hussein. The Resurgence Movement was an underground committee of supporters within the military and the government who wished to end the socialist system and restore the Sultanate of Qatif. It gained more prominence within the government however by 1970 following the austerity measures, with Abdul visiting the United States in October that year ostensibly on a diplomatic visit to discuss the sanctions placed on Qatif. It was in the US that Abdul in secret conversations with officers and members of the US's executive branch discussed the possibility of engineering a coup against al-Karim.

Operation Arfen
Following Abdul's visit to America CIA, and  members outlined the plan to overthrow the al-Karim regime and reinstate the Sultanate and British control over AQOC. Nicknamed "Operation AFREN" by the CIA the coup would take place in March 1970 and be led by Abdul and al-Hussein, who would oversee the arrest and imprisonment of al-Karim and senior members of his government. The CIA and MI6 also planned to bribe many Qatifis to protest against the government as well as various Qatifi military officials to help back the coup, whilst the GIP would help fund Sunni militias in southern regions to help further destabilise the al-Karim government.