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Oman International Relations
Reciprocity has characterized Oman's relationship with
foreign powers. Historically, Oman has relied on foreign
powers
to ensure political stability, domestically and
regionally. In
turn, Oman's geostrategic location at the entry point of
the
Strait of Hormuz and its long coastline have guided the
interests
of foreign powers.
Relations with the British date back to 1798 when the
first
treaty of friendship was concluded between the sultan of
Muscat
and the British government of India. British interests in
Oman
were predicated on Whitehall's concern with the defense of
India
and the imperative of maintaining secure trade routes and
containing the expansion of other European powers in the
Indian
Ocean. Following the discovery of the potential for using
oil as
fuel, and later the conversion of the British naval fleet
from
coal-fired ships to oil-fired ships in 1911, the security
of
tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz gained
increasing
importance. Britain's Royal Air Force had staging and
diplomatic
telecommunications facilities on the island of Masirah
from 1932
to 1977.
The British largely facilitated the extensive military
buildup and modernization of Oman's armed forces during
the
course of the Dhofar rebellion in the 1960s and 1970s.
Without
British military assistance in suppressing the rebellion,
the
sultanate probably could not have contained the threat,
even with
troops from Iran and advisers from Jordan. This close
military
relationship continued after the suppression of the
insurrection.
The chief of the general staff and the commanders of the
air
force and navy were British officers through the
mid-1980s.
United States influence in Oman has been felt more
strongly
since the 1970s. Britain's disengagement east of Suez in
1971
opened up the region to greater competition for influence,
primarily from the United States. When Sultan Qabus ibn
Said
assumed power, there was no United States diplomatic
presence in
Oman. A United States consular officer made at least an
annual
visit, with contacts managed by the British, who had full
control
of Oman's foreign relations and defense matters. A United
States
missionary medical doctor was prominent in the health
program. In
addition, a United States archaeologist, explorer, and
oilman
briefly extended his exploration from the PDRY into Dhofar
in the
1970s.
United States interests in regional security and in
maintaining local allies, particularly after the fall of
the shah
of Iran in 1979, called for the reinforcement of close
security
links to the sultanate. Since the 1970s, Sultan Qabus ibn
Said
has quietly asserted his independence and engaged United
States
petroleum professionals to advise the government. The
selection
of United States citizens to manage the development
programs in
the Musandam Peninsula and the Al Buraymi Oasis and to
develop
water resources in the sultanate was a dramatic departure
from
the sultanate's exclusive reliance on British advisers.
Relations
between Oman and the United States strengthened as Qabus
supported United States peace initiatives in the Middle
East, as
manifest in Muscat's support of the Camp David Accords
signed in
1979 by Egypt and Israel and mediated by the United
States.
United States influence in Oman widened with the
signing of a
facilities access agreement in June 1980 (renewed in 1990)
providing United States military access to Omani bases
under
specified conditions. This was part of a larger regional
strategy
that also included facilities in Somalia and Kenya. The
air bases
at As Sib and Thamarit and on Masirah (the latter
abandoned by
the British in 1977) were upgraded with United States
assistance.
The Joint United States-Oman Commission was established
in
1980 with the mandate to fund and administer economic
assistance
programs in the country. Activities funded through the
commission
reflect sectoral priorities and include a school
construction
project, a scholarship and training project, a fisheries
development project, a management project, and a water
resources
project.
The activities funded reflect United States Agency for
International Development (AID) priorities. In the 1990s,
AID
development assistance focused on the agency's interest in
privatization and institution building. The annual Omani
budget
proposal for fiscal year 1993 allocated US$5 million (or
33
percent of the total program) to private-sector
development,
US$9.5 million (or 63 percent) to institution building,
and
US$8.8 million (or 58 percent) to develop education
facilities.
Despite these programs promoting economic development
and
education, Oman faced significant problems in the early
1990s. A
wealthier, better educated population will demand greater
participation in the political process. As of early 1993,
the
sultan was unwilling to relinquish real power, and he
carefully
preserved his political autonomy. A new Consultative
Council was
established in late 1990 but was essentially an advisory
body
without legislative power. To serve as a mechanism for
true
political reform, the council must be empowered with a
legislative role; as of early 1993, this had not occurred.
* * *
The literature on Oman is scarce and varies in quality.
Most
works were published in the late 1970s or 1980s and
concentrate
on contrasting the periods before and after Qabus ibn Said
came
to power. Although such comparative analysis is valid, it
seems
dated because more than twenty years have elapsed since
the
accession of the sultan. Government publications, such as
the
annual Statistical Yearbook, provide information on
every
sector of the society and economy and are helpful tools in
determining economic and social trends.
Monographs offer a general framework for understanding
Oman's
contemporary scene and also provide a detailed history.
Among the
more useful is J.E. Peterson's Oman in the Twentieth
Century. Also valuable is a work by John Townsend,
former
adviser to sultans Said ibn Taimur and Qabus ibn Said,
Oman:
The Making of the Modern State, which focuses on
institution
building in the post-1970 period.
Various journal articles provide more up-to-date
material.
General economic information is reported weekly in
Middle East
Economic Survey and Middle East Economic Digest
and
periodically in London's Financial Times country
surveys.
Current information on the hydrocarbon sector is best
found in
industry journals, particularly the Oil and Gas
Journal,
Petroleum Intelligence Weekly, and Petroleum
Economist. (For further information and complete
citations,
see
Bibliography.)
Data as of January 1993
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