Omans Mediation Role in Regional Conflicts - the Iranian Nuclear Deal - Research Proposal Example

Oman’s Mediation Role in Regional Conflicts: The Case of the Iranian Nuclear Deal Name Institution Date Abstract A complex reality in the Middle East is the issue of constant conflicts. Oman as one of the nations is the region has been actively engaged in mediation so as to resolve the emerging wrangles. The objective of this study is to examine Oman’s mediation role in regional conflicts through the case of the Iranian nuclear deal. The methodology of the study involves the use of content analysis. A critical area of investigation will be to scrutinize the country’s foreign policy and its influence on Oman’s mediatory role in the Iranian nuclear deal. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Introduction 4 Historical Background of the Oman Case 4 The Issue of Analysis 5 Research Objective 6 Research Questions 6 Literature Review 7 Background of Oman’s Mediation Role in Regional Conflicts 7 Oman’s Mediation Role in the Iranian Nuclear Deal 7 Oman’s Foreign Policy and Its Mediation Role 9 Foreign Policy in the Iranian Deal 10 Methodology 11 Significance of the Study 11 References 12 Introduction Conflict is a common phenomenon in the Middle East. For generations, the region has been a cauldron of perpetual war. Today, this part of the World continues to be turbulent. Most wrangles directly affect several nations including those in the West. According to Matar and Harb (2013), the cause of the Middle East conflict cannot be rationally explained. However, political analysts have sought to provide explanations based on the historical rivalry between the competing forces in the region. International agencies and countries often initiate conciliatory efforts. Some of the arbitration initiatives have been fruitful, while others have aggravated the level of anarchy. The use of mediation is an ancient tactic employed in the resolution of conflicts. The technique which involves the intervention of a third party has been applied extensively to resolve intrastate and interstate disputes (Mitchell, 2014). In the recent decades, Oman has been an excellent mediator in several conflicts that emerge among countries in the Middle East and other states outside the region. Some of her interventions include the Yemen and Syrian conflict and facilitating the 2011 release of three American hikers imprisoned in Iran (Gupta, 2015). It can be argued that the country has altered and improved the interaction of various states in the region and the rest of the world by resolving disputes that would not even be resolved by Western powers. Historical Background of the Oman State Like most nations in the Middle East, Oman was occupied by waves of people from different areas (Wippel, 2013). Settlement in the region originated from two primary directions; one along the southern coast of Arabia from Yemen and the northern gateway of al- Buraymi. The diverse groups came together and formed a unified state. For most years the nation was isolated. The segregation and separateness of the state was mainly created during the reign of Sultan Said Al Said (1932-1970). However, in 1970 that the nation opened itself to interaction with the rest of the world. The Sultanate of Oman was inaugurated as the ‘’ Tibet of Arabia. (Wippel, 2013). Today, the current Sultan Qaboos has been proactive in increasing the level of international interaction between Oman, other states in the region and the rest of the world. The Issue of Analysis Oman’s mediation activities in the Middle East have been efficacious. Velo (2015) asserts that the nation has received applause for its role as a regional mediator. A case of a fruitful intervention was the Syrian and the Yemeni Crisis. It is evident that a countries foreign policy influences the manner in which she interacts with other nations (Beasley, 2012). A big question that emerges is whether Oman’s foreign policy has contributed to the countries capability as an effective mediator. This research, therefore, seeks to examine Oman’s mediation role in the regional conflicts through the case of the Iranian nuclear deal. A key area of analysis will be to examine the country’s foreign policy and its influence on Oman’s mediatory role in the Iranian nuclear deal. The study, will therefore, contribute to the study of Oman foreign policy. Research Objective The following aims will direct the study: Specific Objective To investigate Oman’s Mediation role in the regional conflicts through the Case of the Iranian nuclear deal. General Objectives To examine background and factors that influence Oman’s mediation role in the Middle East To evaluate the role of Oman in mediating the Iranian Nuclear Deal To Determine the impact of Oman’s Foreign Policy on its mediation role To assess the foreign policy approach used by Oman in the Iranian Nuclear Deal Research Questions The research questions are as follows: What factors influence Oman’s mediation role in the Middle East How did Oman mediate the Iranian Nuclear Deal What are the impacts of Oman’s Foreign Policy on its mediation Role What foreign policy approaches does Oman use in its intervention initiative’s What foreign policy approach did Oman use in the Iranian Nuclear deal Literature Review Background of Oman’s Mediation Role in the Regional Conflicts According to Valeri (2014), the mediatory role embraced by Oman was instigated by the political instability in the region which has also threatened her homeland security or stability. This viewpoint of political susceptibility explains why Oman has taken up a leading role a mediator with the objective of attaining consensus among conflicting parties. Macdonald (2015) on the other hand argues that Oman’s mediatory role has been influenced by the fact that the country has been tested and trusted. The nation has been nurturing this character ever since 1970, and with time she has gained the confidence of many governments in the region and other parts of the world (Valeri, 2006). It is essential to take note of the fact that Oman’s mediatory role did not begin recently, but rather, the nation has a long history of resolving conflicts among states. In 1985 the country was instrumental in initiating negotiations between India and Pakistan during the Qatar-Bahrain crisis (Valeri, 2014). In 1990 when Iran annexed Kuwait, Oman condemned the move as an abuse of international law. Nevertheless, she was willing to consent to a military solution and mediated the conflict. Sultan Qaboos also partly participated in Israeli – Egypt Peace Agreement in 1979 and the Arab- Israeli conflict by welcoming the agreement at Camp David in 1978(Valeri, 2014). In the recent years, Oman has facilitated the Syria and Yemen crisis (Schmierer, 2015). Also, Oman was actively involved in the release of two US citizens, three Saudi Arabian citizens, and a British citizen held in Yemeni capital by Houthi rebels (Macdonald, 2015). Oman’s Mediation Role in the Iranian Nuclear Deal Many powerful countries greatly opposed Iranian nuclear activities (Katzman, 2014). Several regimes in the United States including the Obama admiration were against Iran’s operations to the extent of placing sanctions on the nation. For instance, restrictions imposed included U.S. firms were to shut Iran out of the broad U.S. market (Katzman, 2014). Despite the contention, on July 14, 2015, an agreement was reached between Iran and six powerful countries referred to as P5+ 1(United Kingdom, United States, Germany, Russia, France and China). The agreement was termed as the ‘’ Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action’’ (JCPOA). The settlement stipulated that Iran was to limit its nuclear program in order to promote peace (Royce, 2015). The mediation role of Oman in reaching P5- Iran nuclear deal begun in the year 2013 (Valeri, 2014). According to Gupta (2015), Oman is evidently the unsung hero in the deal. This was mainly attributed to it’s the neutral stand taken by Sultan Qaboos which illuminated her role as a good mediator (Gupta, 2015). Oman took up the mediation role in a number of ways. A prolific approach was to provide a basis or ground for initiating the talks. Katzman, (2014) reveals that in early 2013, Oman invited William Burns the US Deputy Secretary of State to the country to explore the likelihood of a nuclear deal. The meetings in which officials from the United States reportedly signaled flexibility took place before the election of Rouhani. Several conventions were further fast-tracked after Rouhani assumed office on August 10th 2013. Despite inviting U.S officials to Oman, the Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said also visited Iran in 2013 August. The visit was supposedly aimed at paving the way for JPA and the U.S Iran diplomatic advances (Katzman, 2014) Cho ( 2015) divulges that Oman acted as an impartial party whereby she tried not to offend both factions. For instance, Oman’s continuing engagement in the Iranian nuclear deal influenced her decision to oppose the upgrading of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to a security union against Iran (Cho, 2015). By rejecting to antagonize Iran with the GCC Union and by ensuring congruence between its regional mediation role and the responsibility directed by the US, Oman continued to maintain positive relations with both Iran and the United States. This enabled her intermediary or mediation role for the nuclear deal (Cho, 2015). Also, it can be stated that Oman had the ability to maneuver diplomatically (Klieman, 2015). A significant approach that was used by the country was to maintain open communication channels with all parties. As noted in the Iranian conflict, Oman interacted closely with Iran and the United Stated. With the regime change in Tehran, the priority for Omani’s diplomacy was to ascertain that the relationship between the two nations was carefully nurtured. The country also convinced other GCC countries to implement aggressive measures against Iran (Klieman, 2015). It can, therefore, be argued that Oman was tactful in maneuvering diplomatically. Oman’s Foreign Policy and its Mediation Role Oman foreign policy has received significant attention than any other development aspect since the 1970 (Calvin, eta l. 2014). Joseph Kechichian published the most useful chronological framework for the analysis of Oman foreign policy. He divided the policy into four periods as followed: Consolidation (1971-1975), Transition (1976-1980), Maturation (1981-1985) and the domestic context (1984-1994) (Calvin, eta l. 2014). Today Oman has an independent foreign policy. As noted highlighted by Valeri, (2014) the country feels vulnerable, which has made the Sultanate’s to prevent any intrusion in its internal affairs by foreign actors. The cost of adopting the independent policy towards its neighbors in the Middle East has directed Oman to be a military and political dependence on the United States and Britain. Moreover, the policy approach has also influenced the nation to create special bonds with her neighbors (Valeri, 2014). According to Jones and Ridout (2012), Oman’s foreign policy keeps changing. This is because her diplomatic actions and approaches often depend on the circumstance in which the Sultanate has found himself. Depending on the existing situation to be dealt with, Oman’s policy many involve approaches such as pragmatism, a discreet low profile and the tendency to maintain all possible channels of communication and relations. For instance, Oman has over the years sustained an open dialogue with countries such as Iran, Yemen, and Jordan in order to preserve close ties (Jones and Ridout, 2012). From an official statement, Oman foreign policy complies with the principles and objectives of the United Nations and those of various international treaties to which the nation is a signatory. In most cases, the country has reminded the World that its foreign policy is grounded on the peaceful settlement of disputes, noninterference in internal affairs of other nations, independence and respect for ideas of sovereignty (Calvin, eta l. 2014). What has emerged from the above literature is that Oman’s foreign policy has evolved from one focusing on specific strategic concerns to a more global view that is increase defined by economics and international relations. Foreign Policy in the Iranian Deal As noted earlier, the literature identifies Oman foreign policy as one that is independent. It can also be stated that the approach applied in the mediation of the Iranian nuclear deal is the soft power method. The method mainly involves enticing and bring on board as opposed to using force so as to coax conflicting parties (Nye, 2004). From the review of the literature, a gap exists in the sense that the Oman foreign policy is perceived as independent, yet it majorly incorporates the soft power approach. The study will attempt to examine the connection between foreign policy and the culture of mediation adopted by Oman. Methodology The methodology of the study will involve the use of content analysis. The approach entails inferences by systematically and objectively identify comprehensive attributes of messages (Berg, 2006). According to Krippendorff (1980), content analysis can be prolific in attaining valid and replicable inferences from meaningful and significant subjects or texts. An essential advantage of the methodology is that validity can be achieved based on the fact that the information examined can provide similar findings even when the scrutiny is conducted several times (Prasad, 2010). In order to effectively evaluate Oman’s Mediation role in the Iranian nuclear deal and the contribution of the country’s foreign policy, the content of the communication will be examined in reference to the intentions, contexts, and meaning. Significance of the Study In accordance with the research objectives and questions, the study will seek to evaluate Oman’s Mediation role in the regional conflicts through the Iranian nuclear deal. The study also intends to examine how the countries foreign policy have influenced her role as a mediator. The study will therefore significantly contribute to Oman’s foreign policy and countries that wish to take part up mediation roles actively. References Beasley, R 2012, Foreign policy in Comparative Perspective: Domestic and International Influences on State Behavior, CQ Press. Berg, B. L 2006, Qualitative research methods for the social sciences (6th ed.), Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Calvin, H. Allen, W. Rigsbee, L 2014, Oman under Qaboos: From Coup to Constitution, Routledge. Cho, II 2015, Global Rogues and Regional Orders: The Multidimensional Challenge of North Korea and Iran, Oxford University Press. Gupta, S 2015, Oman: The Unsung Hero of the Iranian Nuclear Deal, Foreign Policy Journal. Jones, J and Ridout, N 2012, Oman, Culture and Diplomacy, Edinburgh University Press. Katzman, K 2014, Achievements Of and Outlook for Sanctions On Iran, Current Politics and Economics of the Middle East, 5 (1), p 217-235. Krippendorff, K 1980, Content Analysis: An introduction to its methodology, London: Sage. Klieman, A 2015, Great Powers and Geopolitics: International Affairs in a Rebalancing World Global Power Shift, Springer. Mitchell, S 2014, Mediation in Interstate Dispute, Saramitchell. Matar, D and Harb, Z 2013, Narrating Conflict in the Middle East: Discourse, Image and Communications Practices in Lebanon and Palestine. I.B. Tauris. Nye, J 2004, Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics Current affairs/Political science, Public Affairs. Macdonald, S 2015, Oman a Trusted and Tested Mediator, Times of Oman. Prasad, D 2010, Content Analysis A method in Social Science Research, CCS. Schmierer, R 2015, The Sultanate of Oman and the Iran Nuclear Deal, Middle East Policy, 22 (4), p113–120. Royce, E 2015, Iran Nuclear Agreement – Summary and Analysis, House Committee of Foreign Affairs. Valeri, M 2006, Liberalization from Above: Political Reforms and Sultanism in Oman. A. Khalaf and G. Luciani, Constitutional Reform and Political Participation in the Gulf. Dubai: Gulf Research Centre, pp.187-211. Valeri, M 2014, Oman Mediation role in the regional conflicts, Norwegian Peacebuilding Resource Centre. Vela, J 2015, .Praise for Oman’s role as region’s mediator. The henational.ae Oman’s mediatory efforts in regional crises Wippel, S 2013, Regionalizing Oman: Political, Economic and Social Dynamics, Springer Science & Business Media. Read More