Oman: a bastion of stability in a turbulent region

The Sultanate of Oman boasts varied landscapes, from rugged coastlines to mountainous sand dunes. The people are equally as diverse with numerous cultures, religions, and ethnicities all coexisting in relative peace.
The oldest independent Arab state is also one of the most traditional with much of its long-established culture in tact. However, Oman is also rapidly modernising with high rates of Internet usage, some of the best roads and highways in the region, and new shopping malls in its cosmopolitan capital, Muscat.
Oman is strategically located on the southeastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, at the cross roads of South and East Asia. It had great influence in the region, historically, and has long participated in global trade.
Oman reached the peak of its power in the 19 century when its empire stretched all the way down the coast of east Africa to Zanzibar. The Gulf state fought off several incursions by the Portuguese and Ottoman Empire before becoming a British protectorate in 1891.
Oman is a majority Muslim country with most of the population adhering to the Ibhadi sect of Islam. However, all faiths are tolerated in the country, which analysts believe has made it more difficult for groups like the Islamic State and al-Qaeda to recruit in the country.
Modern Oman was born in 1970 when Qaboos Bin Said Al Said overthrew his father and became Sultan of Oman. The Gulf state is heavily dependent on exporting crude oil, but has far smaller reserves than any of the other nations in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The government used revenue from crude oil to invest in infrastructure, technology, education, and welfare.
In spite of its social spending, the government came under heavy criticism during the 2011 Arab Revolts. Omanis took to the streets to protest government corruption, high unemployment, and low wages.
Security forces cracked down when protestors in the southern city of Salalah became violent and in 2012 the government jailed bloggers and journalists for criticising the regime and “defaming the Sultan”.
In 2013, Sultan Qaboos addressed the complaints of protestors by limiting the number of foreign workers allowed into the country, increasing the national minimum wage, providing more legislative powers to local councils, and pardoning everyone who was incarcerated during the 2011 protests.
Analysts and experts say that these reforms from the Sultan have created a more stable political and economic situation than in other countries in the region.
This stability coupled with Oman’s good relations with Iran and the GCC states, including countries on both sides of the Qatar-Saudi Arabia rift, have turned the country into a key economic and strategic ally for both the USA and UK.
