Oman

Gulf countries are at the center of an emerging regional economic infrastructure expansion, but the implications will be global in nature.

Oman’s divergence from the other Gulf Arab states could help shape the postwar regional order and determine the future of the Strait of Hormuz.

The Gulf states want to reduce their dependence on expatriates without losing the professionals they still need for economic diversification. Pension reform is becoming part of that bargain.

The outbreak of the Iran war has halted the deepening of the economic relationship between the United States and the Gulf countries. While likely temporary, it could take some time before the upward trajectory is restored.

Oman has benefitted from the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, but continued conflict and Oman’s highwire neutrality balancing act mean that the sultanate’s economic windfall is still in danger.

Ports will be key focus areas of economic infrastructure buildout efforts as the region works to move beyond the Iran conflict.

A strong relationship with the GCC acts as a stabilizing force for an inherently fragile Iraqi state. But to maintain this, Iraq needs to pair sophisticated regional diplomacy with assertive control over the nonstate actors operating within its borders.

On June 8, AGSI convened its Petro Diplomacy conference for the 12th consecutive year.