A Blow to Middle East Peace as the Region Loses One of its Greatest Mediators

Sultan Qaboos Bin Said meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Credit: Associated Press

By: Nathan Matsko

State College — After ruling the Gulf state of Oman for nearly half a century, Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al Said died on January 10th, 2020.

Over the course of his long and storied life, Sultan Qaboos was responsible for shaping Oman into the country it is today. Rather than ruling with an iron fist like many of his neighbors, the Sultan’s legacy is defined by diplomacy and compromise.

After oil had been discovered in Oman in the mid-sixties, Qaboos became concerned with his father’s greed and neglect of Oman’s people. In July of 1970, Qaboos Bin Said began his rule by overthrowing his father, Said bin Taimur. The coup was aided by British forces and surprisingly saw no casualties, although Said Bin Taimur shot a conspirator in the stomach and was wounded himself after accidentally shooting himself in the foot.

Under Said bin Taimur, little infrastructure existed and public health was feeble. These issues coupled with the authoritarian means in which Taimur ruled gave credence to the allegations Qaboos put forward.

Qaboos, however, would follow a path much different than that of his father. He opened up the isolated kingdom to the rest of the world and used the newfound wealth from oil exports to modernize his country. This came not only in the forms of infrastructure, but also in resources available to the population, including healthcare, education, and employment. The fresh Sultan also established a new constitution and government in order to better serve the populace.

During the Arab Spring, Sultan Qaboos faced minimal opposition compared to many other Middle Eastern nations. Oman did see some protests, but Qaboos was tactful about his approach, quickly shutting down violent dissent. 

What made the protests in Oman unique was that few people demanded that the Sultan step down. Rather, they took issue with many ministers surrounding Qaboos, as well as high unemployment and rising food prices. The Sultan was swift to reshuffle his ministers and fire any who he deemed corrupt. Additionally, he addressed other demands by establishing a ministry of consumer protection and providing financial support for unemployed individuals. 

Qaboos’s diplomacy also helped establish negotiations between Iran and the US, which ultimately culminated in the Iran Nuclear Deal.

In a letter that was opened after his death, Qaboos named his cousin, Haitham Bin Tariq Al-Said, as his successor. Time will tell if this new leader will live up to the legacy of neutrality and compromise that Qaboos left behind. 

Though Oman is not as wealthy as its gulf neighbors, serious progress has been made since the beginning of Qaboos Bin Said’s rule. Keeping close relations with both Saudi Arabia and Iran, this small country has proven under the leadership of Qaboos to be playing a pivotal intermediary role as tensions continue to flare up between the two nations. It remains to be seen if Oman’s neutral nature will continue into the new decade, but Sultan Qaboos’s legacy will leave a mark on the region for generations to come.