Oil used For Sustained Development: A Case Study
It is a country about the size of Kansas, with a population of about three million individuals. Along with Yemen, its neighbor to the southwest, Oman has been one of the most isolated of the countries in the Arabian Peninsula. Until 1970 the entire country had only 10 kilometers of paved roads, two schools, and two hospitals (Gorden 142). A dramatic change has occurred in subsequent years, owing primarily to two factors: the bloodless coup by the present Sultan, and the foreign investment made in oil exploration by a consortium of five global shareholders, whose names over the years became the companies we know today as Exon, Partex, Total/Fina/Elf, Shell, and British Petroleum (Petroleum par. 2). By the middle of the 20th Centrury, unlike neighbors like Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain, Oman had stagnated in terms of trade, politics, and social institutions. The ruling sultan of the time lived a reclusive life in his palace at Salalah, and rarely made any efforts to modernize his country, which had high rates of infant mortality and illiteracy (Gorden 144). On July 23, 1970, with some help from Britain, the Sultan's 30 year old son, Qabus bin Said Al Said, stormed the palace, and forced his father to abdicate and accept exile. Th
The facts are hard to dispute. This new hard-working, enlightened monarch has brought health, wealth, work, education, transportation, and pride to a nation that was languishing in isolation before his ascent to the throne. It's oil income is modest (much lower than the other Arabian countries), and it is not a member of OPEC or OAPEC. As historian and political scientist, J.E. Peterson has noted in his article, "Oman: Three and a Half Decades of Change and Development": Some Omani are critical of the influence that the opening up of Oman has had toward its religion and traditions. About 80% of Omanis follow the Ibadi sect of Islam, an austere form of Islam that rejects decadence of any kind, even in mosque architecture (Arabian, p148). They consciously maintain tribal customs and dress, and strictly govern their lives by their Muslim principles. Obviously the inroads made by Televison, the Internet, and other media, has created a new tension for the older traditions. In a United Nations article from 2001, entitled, "Gobalization and the Labour Markets in the ESCWA Region," the writers note that the major challenge in this regard involves: His father had rarely allowed foreigners to even enter Oman, let alone set up companies within his domain. Qabus however, knew that he needed foreign capital in order to get Oman into the modern world. He allowed the Western consortium to continue drilling for oil, and they finally had five active wells
Some common words found in the essay are:
ESCWA Region, Development Oman, Sultan Qabus's, Britain Sultan's, United Nations, Arabian Peninsula, Change Development, Bahrain Oman, Oman Globalization, , oil income, nations article, united nations article, united nations, petroleum par,
Approximate Word count = 980
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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