Sultan Qaboos has been ruling Oman since 1970.
He took over the reins of power after a coup against his father. As the leader of Oman since then, he has created two special bodies for consultative purposes which are :
- Majlis al-Dawla (48 seats; members appointed by the monarch; has advisory powers only)
- Majlis al-Shura (83 seats; members elected by for three-year term) however the final decision rests with the Sultan.
Since his accession to power in 1970, Sultan Qaboos has taken Oman out of a period of isolationism to a period of regional and international recognition. This has been through reinforcing internal stability through provision of laws and decrees guaranteeing basic civil liberties for Omani citizens, thus reducing government opposition. Another method has been Oman's active efforts in formenting economic and military alliances with Oman's GCC neighbours and its powerful Iranian neighbour which has been maintained at an amicable level after the Iranian revolution in 1979. Oman's international relations are further strengthened through its strong friendship with the UK government (dating as far back as 1798) especially regarding issues such as defence and education, whilst courting USA's friendship and backing in areas such as trade, construction and defence. Oman's international political and economic relations are further strengthened through Oman's strong economic and trade links with India , China as well as other South East Asian countries.
It is important to note that Oman's significance to other countries is not only due to its economic capabilities and its important Geo-strategic position.
The Omani policy of playing a regional broker make a significant contribution to Oman's standing in the international arena. As far back as in the 1980s Oman played the role of the peace broker between Iran and Iraq, whilst in the late 1980s Muscat acted as a mediator between Iran and the UK, and Iran and Saudi Arabia which resulted in the restoration of diplomatic relations between Iran and the aforementioned countries. At the same time, as the only Arab country in its time Oman provided much needed political support to the United State's Camp David accord which brought peace between Israel and Egypt. Meanwhile Oman also invested similar efforts in the first (1991) and second Gulf War (2003) in trying to garner a solution between the warring coalition and Iraqi parties.
Today Oman continues to play an important role in the International arena, through its membership in important organisations such as the Arab League, the United Nations, the Gulf Co-operation Council. At the same time Oman's strategic position has played a vital role in the Gulf war of 1991 as well as America's UN backed war against terror in Afghanistan in 2001. By: Meir Javedanfar- www.meepas.com Back |
