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This thesis aims to provide a nuanced explanation of the birth, evolution and consistency of Oman’s foreign policy of neutrality. Over the last five decades, neutrality has been a core feature of Omani foreign policy. Departing from its Arab Gulf Neighbours, Oman decided to adopt neutrality in various conflicts such as the Iran-Iraq War in 1980–88, the Syrian Civil War and the recent War in Yemen, 2015–2022. Even in conflicts where it could not be neutral, Omani leaders would express their preference to maintain a neutral stance. To guide my analysis, I developed a conceptual framework, which I denominate as the processual model of neutrality (PMN), that conceives neutrality as a process of three phases: ‘strategic’, where the country decides to adopt neutrality for strategic reasons; ‘passive’, when the country adopts neutrality but lacks the recognition of external powers; and ‘active’, when the country adopts neutrality and has wide recognition for this policy, enabling it to play active neutral roles such as hosting peace negotiations and supporting humanitarian efforts. On this basis, this dissertation explores Omani foreign policy towards two major conflicts, the Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988) and the War in Yemen (2015–2022), demonstrating that these cases are crucial to understanding the emergence of Omani neutrality and its consolidation and recognition. Furthermore, this thesis explores the period between 1988–2015 in order to scrutinise how the Omani position varied during other major conflicts, such as the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the Syrian Civil War in 2011. Using data drawn from interviewing key Omani decision-makers and visiting several archives in the UK, US and Oman, this thesis concludes that Oman’s neutrality started as a strategic decision resulting from a complex interaction of different domestic and external factors during the Iran-Iraq War. This thesis also argues that Oman was not able to adopt neutrality in cases such as the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and the invasion of Iraq in 2003 due to various reasons, including the influence of its security guarantors and serious threats perceptions. Finally, factors such as the wide recognition of Omani neutrality and diplomatic reach enabled Oman to exercise active neutrality during the War in Yemen.

In the past few decades, the concept of tolerance has gained a central place in Oman’s political discourse and foreign policy. It is often attributed to the country’s national identity, which in turn is interpreted as deriving from Oman’s Ibadi tradition, the cosmopolitan character of its maritime history and its strategic geographic location. Despite greater attention being paid to the constructive nature of Oman’s identity, including its connection with Ibadism, however, a careful reflection on how the concept of tolerance developed from a religious to a foreign policy principle is still missing. A Discourse-Historical analysis of speeches directed towards a domestic and international audience highlights how the political discourse on tolerance, by reinforcing identity-engineering efforts, supported the Omani government’s legitimation and status-seeking purposes at home and abroad.

This book offers a comprehensive and insightful exploration of Oman’s discourses on foreign policy and national identity in the context of the Middle East. The Sultanate of Oman is often hailed as a peaceful exception in the region, but this work goes beyond surface-level observations to reveal the intricate complexities of Oman’s foreign policy and identity construction. With a keen focus on deconstructing essentialist understandings, the chapters delve into how discursive alignments and identity contents have shaped the government’s quest for legitimacy, recognition, and status. Employing a pioneering discourse historical approach to compare the National Day speeches and UN General Assembly speeches throughout Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Bu Saidi’s reign (1970–2020), the author reveals how discourse evolved based on time, issues, and audiences. Notably, the book situates Oman within the context of the Gulf Cooperation Council states, examining how the Omani government’s interlinked discourses on identity and foreign policy contributed to differentiate the Sultanate from other Gulf countries. With chapters exploring Oman’s foreign policy principles, its material and ideological response to the ideas linked to the Dhofar Revolution, and its interactions with the Arab world and the international community, readers of this book will gain a comprehensive understanding of Oman’s evolving national and supranational identifications and the dynamic nature of its foreign policy. Challenging prevailing narratives while providing a fresh perspective on the relations between Oman’s foreign policy and identity construction, this book marks an important text for scholars as well as policymakers and anyone interested in understanding the intricate dynamics of Oman’s role in the global stage.

Abstract The article provides a brief overview of the Omani mosques that the Italian archaeologist P.M. Costa classified into two groups in the 1970s based on their floor plans, architectural features, and decorative elements: those from the northern inland regions and those situated along the Indian Ocean coast. A new mosque recently brought to light by the Italian Archaeological Mission to al-Balīd of the University of Naples L’Orientale belongs to this second group.

Despite the success of artificial intelligence AI in the fields of computer science/calculations or in applied sciences in medicine and aeronotics, its application in the human sciences, particularly in the field of creation and historical research, has its limits. The article demonstrates that AI can in no way replace the work of historians and archaeologists to offer a reasoned history of an ancient civilization of a country, in this case the Sultanate of Oman.

While archaeological data on the history of Oman continues to multiply for the Bronze and Iron Ages, historical data are to date insufficient to know the eventful history of Oman for the period from the 5th century BC to the 5th century AD. Historical inscriptions from ancient Yemen allow us to revise the partly mythical version transmitted by Arab and Omani tradition, particularly regarding the arrival of the Arabs in Oman.

The foreign policy of Oman, since Sultan Qaboos bin Said’s accession to the throne in 1970 until his death in 2020, has been characterized by vigorous activities and broad outreach during a period marked by significant global challenges and shifts across political, economic, and security dimensions. This was especially pronounced in the Arabian Gulf region, which endured a destructive conflict that jeopardized its security and economic stability, resulting in substantial costs. This conflict, the Iran-Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War (1980–1988), posed a considerable threat. This study examines Sultan Qaboos bin Said’s position on this war and Oman’s foreign policy approach to managing its implications.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Due to the high prevalence of cancer, researchers for the past decades have made considerable efforts for its management and treatment. Medicinal plants have always been exploited to discover novel anticancer agents. Oman's huge biodiversity has created a rich source of traditional medicine. OBJECTIVE: The current survey has aimed to document the traditionally used medicinal plants of Oman and their therapeutic role in the treatment of cancer. MATERIAL METHOD: This study comprises of literature-based survey through different databases, including Google, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Science Direct, Springer Link, BioMed Central and PubMed. RESULTS: The current review revealed a total of 57 plant species that belong to 35 families that are used in the treatment of cancer in Oman. Most documented plants belong to Solanaceae (6 sp.), Apocyanaceae (5 sp.) and Lamiaceae (4 sp.). The literature reveals that the residents of the area mostly use leaves (38.5%) and prepare their recipes in the form of decoction (40.3%). Moreover, herbs are the most dominant life form (43.85%). Among all forms of cancer in Oman, breast (47%), wound (26), and lung cancer (0.5%) were found dominantly. A literature study confirmed that the medicinal plants used for cancer in Oman are rich in phytochemicals such as quercetin, allicin, coumarin, alliin, kaempferol, solamargine, rutin, lupeol, ursolic acid and luteolin that have shown significant biological activities including anti-cancer potential. It reflects the efficacy of these plants to be used as a medicine in clinical trials. Among all, Boswellia sacra Flueck. is of key importance due to the presence Boswellic acid being used for the treatment of different types of cancer. CONCLUSION: The residents of Oman have great knowledge about the traditional use of medicinal plants for the treatment of various diseases like cancer. The therapeutic potential and physiological efficacy of Omani medicinal plants should be further explored at a molecular level via in vivo and in vitro experiments.

Executive Summary: On July 16, three Islamic State-associated gunmen killed six worshippers at a Shia mosque in Muscat. This was the first al-Qaeda or Islamic State attack in Oman, despite its proximity to Islamist hubs and relatively friendly relationship with Israel. The three attackers were brothers, suggesting radicalization within the family rather than a broader, societal-level issue in Oman. For …