The Omani sultan's financial weakness contribute to…

The Omani sultan's financial weakness contribute to his difficulty in maintaining his hold on the interior.

The devout Ibadi population of the interior has long resented the more secular orientation of the coastal centers.

As the sultan grows weaker, groups in the interior raise revolts against him on several occasions.

Only with British help can the sultan remain in control, and his growing dependence on outsiders causes his relations with the Ibadi population to deteriorate.

Whereas other gulf rulers use the British to protect them from their more powerful neighbors, the sultan needs the British to protect him from his subjects.