Located on the Arabian Peninsula, Oman is an Islamic country practicing Ibadhism, a more moderately conservative version of the religion. Although the Portuguese conquered parts of Oman’s coastal region on the 1500s, and the Persians controlled part of the nation at one time, Oman has long been an independent country. During the 18th century, Great Britain and France fought over Oman’s rich natural resources, but by the 19th century, Oman had allied itself with the British. Oil was discovered in 1954, and since that time, political unrest has forced more than one leader out of power. The US and Oman have had a military cooperation agreement since 1980, and relations were further strengthened by Oman’s contributing troops to the Gulf War and the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. In 2006, Oman signed a free trade agreement with the United States, similar to NAFTA and CAFTA. It entered into force on January 1, 2009, and will increase bilateral trade and investment between Oman and the US. This trade agreement has resulted in criticism from those who believe that it will lead to Oman becoming a sweatshop for the garment industry, with low wages and terrible working conditions. There are also strong protests against the US allowing Oman to own and run its ports in the area. In a worst-case scenario, Oman would have the ability to countermand homeland security laws and impose its own rules of order, as was the case in the Dubai Ports agreement with the United Arab Emirates.
Lay of the Land: In southwest Asia, the sultanate of Oman occupies the southeastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula between Yemen to the southwest and the United Arab Emirates to the north.
Oman first adopted Islam in the 7th century, but by the following century, Ibadhism, a form of Islam differing from Shiaism or other orthodox schools of Sunnism, became the dominant form practiced in the country. Ibadhism is known for its “moderate conservatism,” including its willingness to establish new rulers according to consensus and consent. Today, Oman is still the only Muslim country with a majority Ibadhi population.
According to the US Department of State, the US signed a treaty of friendship and navigation with Muscat in 1833, which was one of the first of its kind with an Arab state. On December 20, 1958, this treaty was replaced by the Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations, and Consular Rights.
In March 2005, the US and Oman launched negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement that were successfully concluded in October 2005. The FTA was signed on January 19, 2006, and was put into effect on January 1, 2009.
According to the US Census Bureau, imports from the US to Oman generally increased between 2005 and 2010, from $555 million to $772.7 million. Exports also increased from $570.7 million to $1.1 billion. This amounts to a positive US trade balance of $328.8 million in 2010.
US-Oman Free Trade Pact Raises Alarms
First on the State Department’s list of problems with Oman’s human rights record is the fact that Oman’s citizens do not have the right to change their government. Furthermore, the government restricted freedoms of speech, press, assembly, religion, and association. Despite legislated equality for women, discrimination and domestic violence persisted due to social and cultural factors. The government restricted the activity of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and did not permit domestic human rights groups to operate in the country. There was a lack of sufficient legal protection and enforcement to secure the rights of migrant workers. There were reports that expatriate laborers, particularly domestic workers, were placed in situations amounting to forced labor and that some suffered abuse.
Gary A. Grappo was sworn in as US Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman on March 6, 2006. Grappo holds a BS in mathematics from the US Air Force Academy, MS in geodesy and survey engineering from Purdue University, and an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
The embassy in Muscat was established Jul 4, 1972, with Clifford J. Quinlan as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim.
William A. Stoltzfus, Jr.
Appointment: Feb 29, 1972
Presentation of Credentials: Apr 17, 1972
Termination of Mission: Appointment terminated, Jul 16, 1974
Note: Also accredited to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates; resident at Kuwait.
William D. Wolle
Appointment: Jun 20, 1974
Presentation of Credentials: Jul 17, 1974
Termination of Mission: Left post Apr 25, 1978
Marshall W. Wiley
Appointment: Oct 11, 1978
Presentation of Credentials: Nov 7, 1978
Termination of Mission: Left post May 19, 1981
John R. Countryman
Appointment: Aug 27, 1981
Presentation of Credentials: Oct 14, 1981
Termination of Mission: Left post Jul 29, 1985
George Cranwell Montgomery
Appointment: Aug 1, 1985
Presentation of Credentials: Sep 11, 1985
Termination of Mission: Left post Jan 18, 1989
Richard Wood Boehm
Appointment: Nov 22, 1988
Presentation of Credentials: Nov 12, 1989
Termination of Mission: Left post Oct 31, 1992
Note: Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on Oct 10, 1989.
David J. Dunford
Appointment: Oct 9, 1992
Presentation of Credentials: Nov 1, 1992
Termination of Mission: Left post Jun 21, 1995
Frances D. Cook
Appointment: Dec 19, 1995
Presentation of Credentials: Jan 2, 1996
Termination of Mission: Left post Jan 10, 1999
John Bruce Craig
Appointment: Oct 26, 1998
Presentation of Credentials: Feb 15, 1999
Termination of Mission: Left post Sep 22, 2001
Note: Robert W. Dry served as Charge d'Affaires Sep 2001–Nov 2001
Richard L. Baltimore, 3rd
Appointent: Oct 3, 2002
Presentation of Credentials: Nov 5, 2002
Termination of Mission: Left post, Mar 17, 2006
Hunaina Sultan Ahmed Al-Mughairy became ambassador of Oman to the United States on December 2, 2005.
Career diplomat Greta C. Holtz was nominated by President Barack Obama on May 24, 2012 to be the next U.S. ambassador to Oman.
Holtz received a Bachelor of Science in political science from Vanderbilt University (1982) and a Master of Arts in international relations from the University of Kentucky (1984).
She entered the Foreign Service in March 1985. Her overseas postings sent her to the U.S. missions in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Tunisia, Syria and Turkey, where she was the consul in the city of Adana (2002-2003).
While serving as consul in Tunisia in 1991, Holtz became suspicious about the passport of an American who appeared at the U.S. embassy to apply for a birth certificate and passport for his infant daughter. Sure enough, William Patrick Alston turned out to be a murderer who had escaped from a prison in Pennsylvania 11 years earlier. Holtz alerted various authorities and Alston was rearrested.
In 2004 Holtz earned a Master of Science degree in national security studies from the National War College.
From 2004-2006 Holtz was the State Department’s coordinator for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
She was the director of The Middle East Partnership Initiative, managing the State Department’s democracy promotion program in the Middle East (2006-2007).
Holtz served as head of the Office of Provincial Affairs at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, Iraq (2009-2010), which included running the U.S. Provincial Reconstruction Teams.
Her previous assignment before becoming ambassador was deputy assistant secretary of state for public diplomacy and strategic communications in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.
Holtz speaks Arabic, Turkish, and French.
-Noel Brinkerhoff, David Wallechinsky
Official Biography (State Department)
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