Editor's Note --- Junior Cameron Wilson shares a Dec. 2012 paper entitled "Oman and its unusual stability", written for a Stanford class entitled "Decoding the Arab Spring". Below is an excerpt from the paper --- Click here to read the entire 7-page paper which sheds light on a part of the world few Americans know anything about.
Oman
is a small country located on the southeastern corner of the Arabian peninsula.
It shares borders with Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Its
small population, weak military, and generally pacifist tendencies ensure that
it receives little coverage in the western media. Oman’s government, based in
the capital city of Muscat, has been remarkably stable over the last several
decades, with Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said coming to power in 1970 --when he
seized power from his father-- and ruling as a dictator ever since. The
stability he has created is even more impressive given the recent Arab Spring
uprisings in countries such as Egypt and Libya and the fact that al Said holds
almost complete power over Oman. This paper will analyze the strategies that
the Sultan has used to create stability and avoid the fate, thus far at least,
of other dictators in the Arab world. Through these strategic moves, he has
successfully maintained relations with western powers such as the United
States, while keeping cordial relations with his neighboring countries, among
the most powerful in the Middle East. In contrast to other dictators of the
region, Al Said has earned the respect and loyalty of his people by improving
quality of life and expanding human rights. This has resulted in al Said easily
maintaining, in some cases even consolidating, his power throughout the course
of the Arab Spring.
The roots of Oman’s friendly
relations with the United States were cultivated nearly 200 years ago. In 1841,
Oman was the first country in the Middle East to recognize the newly formed
United States as a sovereign nation. From this beginning the two countries have
forged a successful record of diplomatic cooperation. Since al Said came to
power in 1970 Oman has supported US initiatives in the Middle East. Most
notably, Oman was the only country in the region to support Egypt in ratifying
the Camp David Accords in 1978. At the time, other nations in the Arab League
were pushing to expel Egypt for this act of diplomacy which they saw as a
betrayal of Arab principles. Oman supported Egypt in signing the accords while
arguing for their continued inclusion in the Arab League. Al Said also allows
the United States the use of an air base in southwest Oman. The base in
Thumrait has become a hub for reconnaissance aircraft that are used to monitor
activities in nearby Iran.
In recent years, Oman has been influential in
securing the release of western travelers from complex judicial systems in
other Middle Eastern nations. In late 2009, three American hikers mistakenly
crossed from Iraq into Iran. They were arrested and two were later sentenced to
eight years in Iranian prison on counts of espionage. In the fall of 2011,
Omani officials brokered their release and flew the hikers from Iran to Muscat
before ultimately returning them to the United States.[1] President
Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton both issued statements in
which they thanked the Sultan for his country’s role in securing the safe
release of the American hikers. A similar situation arose in November of 2011
when three French aid workers were taken into custody by a Yemeni affiliate of
al-Qaeda. Omani officials were able to negotiate with a Yemeni businessman so
that he could pay the ransom demanded to recover the aid workers.[2]
Upon their release, they were driven to Muscat before taking flights to France.
Then president of France Nicolas Sarkozy quickly issued a statement thanking
Oman for its role in the aid workers’ safe recovery. Through these acts of
diplomacy, Oman has been able to maintain strong alliances with several western
powers.
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