There were few rudiments of a modern state when Qaboos took power. In his first year in power, Qaboos also abolished
slavery in Oman. The political system which Qaboos established was an
absolute monarchy. The Sultan's birthday, 18 November, was celebrated as Oman's national holiday, but has recently been changed to 20th November. The first day of his reign, 23 July, is celebrated as Renaissance Day. Oman has no system of checks and balances, and thus no
separation of powers. All power was concentrated in the Sultan during his reign, and he served as prime minister, minister of foreign affairs, minister of defence, chief of staff of the armed forces, and chairman of the board of the
Central Bank of Oman. All legislation since 1970 has been promulgated through royal decrees, including the
1996 Basic Law. The sultan appoints judges, and can grant pardons and commute sentences. The sultan's authority is inviolable. Qaboos's closest advisors were reportedly security and intelligence professionals within the
Palace Office, headed by General Sultan bin Mohammed al Numani.
2011 Omani protests Dick Cheney during Cheney's visit to the Middle East in 2002.|left The
2011 Omani protests were a series of protests in the
Persian Gulf country of
Oman that occurred as part of the
revolutionary wave popularly known as the "
Arab Spring". The protesters demanded salary increases, lower living costs, the creation of more jobs and a reduction in corruption. Protests in
Sohar, Oman's fifth-largest city, centered on the
Globe Roundabout. The Sultan's responses included the dismissal of a third of the governing cabinet. According to
CBS News, 19 June 2011, Several protest leaders have been detained and released in rolling waves of arrests during the Arab Spring, and dissatisfaction with the state of affairs in the country is high. While disgruntlement amongst the populace is obvious, the extreme dearth of foreign press coverage and lack of general press freedom there leaves it unclear as to whether the protesters want the sultan to leave, or simply want their government to function better. Beyond the recent protests, there is concern about succession in the country, as there is no heir apparent or any clear legislation on who may be the next Sultan. The Sultan did give token concession to protesters, yet detained social media activists. In August 2014, The Omani writer and human rights defender Mohammed Alfazari, the founder and editor-in-chief of the e-magazine Mowatin "Citizen", disappeared after going to the police station in the Al-Qurum district of Muscat, only to be pardoned some time later.
Foreign policy to
Muscat, Oman, April 5, 2008. with Qaboos, 2018|227x227px Following the
Iran–Iraq War, Qaboos declined to align himself against Iran. Before the 1994 Yemen war, he hosted the final meeting between rival leaders
Ali Abdullah Saleh and
Ali Salem al-Beidh to mediate. Under Qaboos, Oman fostered closer ties with Iran than other
Arab states of the Persian Gulf, and was careful to appear neutral and maintain a balance between the West and Iran. As a result, Oman often acted as an intermediary between the United States and Iran. Qaboos helped mediate secret US–Iran talks in 2013 that paved the way to the
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action two years later. In 2011, Qaboos facilitated the release of
American hikers who were held by Iran, paying $1 million for their freedom. Oman did not join the
Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen against the
Houthis in 2015. Talks between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia took place in Muscat in early 2016. Oman did not take sides in a Persian Gulf dispute that saw Saudi Arabia and its allies impose an
embargo on Qatar in 2017. In 2018 he prohibited
GCC nationals from owning property in governorates bordering Saudi Arabia and the UAE. ==Philanthropy==