Chapter 6 focuses on a rebellion among Arabs in Bushehr in February 1827, and the diplomatic row that followed. Rather than providing a comprehensive account of early Qajar diplomacy – a subject that could fill volumes – this chapter zeroes in on one relatively minor affair, long forgotten in the annals of history. The choice is strategic: because it drew the involvement of the Shiraz-based Qajar governor and the British Resident in Bushehr, and because of the detailed Persian- and English-language correspondence it generated, it offers a window onto a constellation of subjects: the importance of Bushehr for both the Qajars and the British, the relationship between the Qajars and Arab tribes along the Persian Gulf coast, and relations between Qajar rulers in Fars and in Tehran. The chapter illustrates how an extremely local crisis offered an opportunity for the Qajars to articulate their sovereignty and their political authority, in the face of domestic crises and international challenges.