Omani Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al-Said has made the country’s economy his focus even as he broadly continues the foreign policy goals of the late Sultan Qaboos, according to Marc J Sievers, the former US ambassador to Muscat.
Sievers, a non-resident fellow at the Washington DC-based Atlantic Council, served as ambassador to Oman between January 2016 and November 2019. A foreign service officer since 1981, he also served as a political counselor in Riyadh and as a political officer in Rabat and Cairo.
Sievers also said that the recent appointment of a Crown Prince from the Sultan’s family – local media has reported that him to be Dhi Yazan, Haitham’s oldest son – seems “to be kind of a [shift] to a more traditional Gulf royal family.”
Speaking at an event organised by the Arab Gulf States Institute of Washington, Sievers said that he believes that Sultan Haitham – who succeeded Sultan Qaboos after his death on January 10, 2020 – has made “the economy the centre of his rule, for good reason.”
Marc J Sievers, the former US ambassador to Muscat.
“The stresses were very great because of the collapse of oil prices, and also the impact of the pandemic,” he said. “It all came together at the same time.”
“Even though Sultan Haitham comes from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at least for part of his career, he’s much more focused on the economy and much less on the diplomatic initiatives that seemed to capture Qaboo’s imagination.”
Last week, Omani state media reported that the country has taken a number of measures as it redirects resources towards “national priorities”, including reducing spending and imposing its 5 percent VAT this year.
Projections from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimate that Oman’s economy shrunk as much as 10 percent in 2020, with financial buffers considerably weaker than those of its neighbours.
Sievers said, however, that he believes there has been a “continuity” in terms of foreign affairs, at least in that Haitham has continued to follow the “broad outlines” of Qaboos’ foreign policy goals.
“A very high priority is maintaining the independence of Omani policy and Oman’s ability to have its own course in its relations with its neighbours. That includes Iran,” Sievers added.
Additionally, Sievers said that Oman’s unique position as an arbiter in the Gulf is unlikely to fundamentally change, even in periods in which it disagrees with some of its neighbours.
“Despite some political differences, economic ties are very strong,” he explained. “They will be very careful to maintain their political independence, even if they’d like some support from some of the wealthier Gulf states.”
A shift towards traditional?
Ambassador Sievers’ comments come after Oman announced constitutional changes that included the appointment of a crown prince for the first time, as well as new rules governing the operations of its parliament.
Oman’s first Crown Prince Sayyid Dhi Yazan bin Haitham. Image: @MMAlardhi
Local media has reported that the Crown Prince is Dhi Yazan, Haitham’s oldest son. Yazan had previously served as a diplomat in the UK and as Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth.
“When Sultan Qaboos was Sultan, that was very much not the case. He didn’t appoint a lot of Royals to key positions. He had a couple of insiders that weren’t royals at all,” he explained. “It was a very different model.”
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