Dr. Syed Mehboob
Economic and Political Analyst
http//: www.thenewslark.com
Oman is a wonderful country promoting peace, tolerance and has neutral and balanced foreign policy. Its foreign policy is highly successful, characterized by ,” neutrality”, “mediation”, and being “ friends” to all and enemies to none”, which has secured regional stability and national security. It operates as a vital, trusted, and pragmatic intermediary in conflicts involving Iran, the US, and Yemen. Oman has established itself as a neutral, “Switzerland of Arabia”. Often facilitating backdoor negotiations to reduce tensions in the Middle East. Oman maintains excellent relations with the US, China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan and other countries.
Oman adheres strictly a policy of non-interference into the internal affairs of other nations with prioritizing peaceful, non-violent negotiations as the primary resolve conflicts. It has fully focused on long-term national security , economic stability, safety of its people .
Today, Omani foreign policy is frequently characterized as being uniquely peaceful, with Omanis depicted as ‘friends to all and enemies to none’. Mediation became the important pillar of Omani foreign policy. Following is the significance of Omani mediation.
- The development and maintenance of good relations with its neighbors.
- The cultivation of mutual economic and security interests.
- An internationalist outlook, symbolized through tolerance of other cultures and engagement with international organizations.
- A pragmatic approach to bilateral relations that emphasizes long-term geostrategic realities rather than temporary or ideological positions.
- Recognition that security and stability come through cooperation and peace, rather than conflict.
- Refusal to break off relations and to persist in dialogue.
- Consensus building between parties, rather than taking sides
The Sultanate today under the new leadership of Sultan Haitham bin Tariq notice the unique global events that the world is going through and understand the unrest situation that the region and the world is facing.
The Sultanate will not change its unique basic principles of Omani foreign policy and will not neglect its role of peace-making and its neutral policy in the regional and the international arenas. Lastly, Oman’s foreign relations are expected to be in the best interest of finding new opportunities for its youth and fulfilling its public demands; can be by facilitating the country for more beneficial investments and international organization collaboration.
In a region of political instability and conflict, Oman remains a notable outlier. The country uses its vast oil and gas reserves to pursue a policy of authoritarian benevolence, providing services for its citizens in exchange for a lack of dissent. The policy makers are aware of the importance of funding these programs, is seeking to diversify Oman’s economy and reduce its reliance on oil and gas reserves that will one day run out.. The country’s low youth unemployment and the fact that the majority of Omanis are Ibadi Muslims lead to a very low risk of terrorist attacks in the country. Finally, Oman’s neutrality in the region means it avoids direct and indirect confrontation with other states, which maintains the country’s stability.
Understanding the reasons behind Oman’s stability is crucial to maintaining the country’s status as a safe haven. In addition, Oman controls a vital international shipping passage, so a conflict in that area could wreak havoc on the world economy. If Oman does come to appear on the news, it had better be for good reason.
To understand Oman’s current foreign policy is to understand how skilled diplomacy works—how balancing interests, tolerance toward differences, and a determined search for mutual benefits can open international doors and keep them open, even during conflict. While other nations in the Middle East have been driven by ideology and short-term gains, the Sultanate of Oman has pursued its own course, holding to the belief that peaceful negotiation is essential to the overall, long-term goals of Omani security and prosperity.
Oman has made great strides in foreign policy relations since 1970, when regime was changed and a major shift was witnessed to turn Oman into a modern one with adherence to its values, culture, language and Islamic values. Oman’s foreign policy approach that have made it unique and successful? It is evident in Qaboos’s and Sultan Haitham’s foreign policy is pragmatism. Qaboos overestimates neither Oman’s capabilities nor other nations’ intentions toward the Sultanate. Nor does he rule out former enemies as potential partners, or the use of bold initiatives that, though unpopular with his fellow Arab rulers, serve the long-term goals of securing Oman’s political, economic, and military needs.
Working from foreign policy principles of nonintervention in other countries’ affairs, respect for international law, and adherence to a nonaligned policy, Oman has promoted compromise and peaceful resolution, encouraging even warring countries to find commonalities and acceptable tradeoffs. This characteristic was evident from the beginning: He stays on the best terms possible, never breaking diplomatic relations. Keeping in mind Oman’s reality—its history, geography, diverse population, economy, and strategic Middle East location (both during the Cold War as an East-West confrontational point, and in the Cold War’s aftermath as regional aggressors have arisen), solutions to Oman’s needs in the larger arena by diligently pursuing international relations beneficial for the long term.
When Qaboos came to power in 1970, his father, Sultan Sa`id bin Taymur, had looked to England and India for Oman’s world relations, shunning connections to Arab neighbors. Qaboos’s “idea of Oman” as a regional power led him to reverse this situation by establishing direct diplomatic relations with Arab and other states and by gaining admittance to the League of Arab States (LAS) and the United Nations in 1971. Qaboos thus ended the Sultanate’s long isolation, placing Oman within the Arab and larger world, a pragmatic way to start securing the country within the region. This move and many others Qaboos was to make in responding to internal and external factors constitute the playing out of a unique foreign policy.
The first phase, consolidation (1970-1975), entailed building relations with the Arab and larger world in an effort to mitigate Oman’s dependence on Britain, legitimizing Oman’s independence, achieving internal unity by dealing with political unrest in the north and ending the Communist-backed Dhufar War that had been threatening the Sultanate since 1965 in the south, and addressing Oman’s poor standard of living.
Oman’s most important foreign relations accomplishment in this period concerned Iran,. Oman at this time had few resources for solving its internal problems, let alone regional ones. Acknowledging the Shah’s regional pre- eminence, Qaboos sought and obtained Iranian military assistance in fighting the Dhufar rebellion, as well as an Omani-Iranian border agreement in the Straits of Hormuz. By offering the Shah the explicit support of an Arab Gulf ruler and direct involvement in quelling Omani instability that could spill over into Iran, Qaboos secured a border agreement, essential aid, and the stature associated with being treated as an equal by the region’s then most powerful country.
The transition phase (1976-1980) brought more financial attention to domestic needs now that the Dhufar War and civil unrest were ended, and continued pursuit of closer ties to Oman’s neighbors. To deal with internal issues, Oman asked for and received significant financial assistance from several Gulf states. In 1979, when the Shah of Iran was deposed by the Ayatollah Khumayni, Qaboos kept the established Omani-Iranian tie in place. Simultaneously, he tried to prevent possible aggression by proposing a $100 million protection plan for the Straits of Hormuz. When the five other conservative Gulf states—Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE—dismissed this idea (as they had his other calls for joint security efforts), he turned to the United States, signing the 1980 Facilities Access Agreement, at that time the first and only such agreement between an Arab state and the United States. This military accord with a Western power once again showed Qaboos’s readiness to do what he deemed essential for Oman’s long-term security interests.
The maturation period (1981-1985) saw war between the two largest regional states, Iran and Iraq, continuing. That conflict plus other area tensions finally led to the culmination of Qaboos’s long-time efforts to help form the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which brought the six conservative Gulf countries together in what was the Arabian Peninsula’s first jointly provided security effort. While participating in all regional security activities as part of the GCC, Oman took no side in the Iran-Iraq War, managing to retain all regional relationships and its security ties with the West. Qaboos also called for direct Israeli- Palestinian talks to settle the Arab-Israeli conflict—another unpopular stand in the Arab world, but one that made sense for long-term security.
In the last phase, that of progress (1986-1994), ( Continued )
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