The story of Shahrzad Mir-Qolikhan, who has been freed these days from a long detention caused by her espionage activities, according to American authorities, confirms in my opinion what I stated previously .
Saudi Arabia and the US are trying to fix the Iranian issue , at least on the short term, in quite a peaceful way, in order to obtain some backing on the Syrian front .
And once again in a legal dispute between America and Iran, the Sultanate of Oman is the quiet protagonist .
Oman is a country with a great potential, but relatively poor in energetic resources, which is the reason for its balanced and mediation policies .
Sultan Qaboos, who came to power through a bloodless coup surrounded by legends, has this great ability to lead the country, keeping in account the needs of his people, and to lean on foreign help, specially British, on terms of equality .
He never allowed anybody to overcome his power and his country sovereignity .
The main issue, on the long run, is the riddle of his succession .
Omanis dream of a surprise heir who will come and lead gracefully same as he did after his father .
Reality is, that there is no official heir, and in case the family won't find an agreement, then a paper where he already indicated a name, will be opened soon after his death, so the successor will be installed .
In the light of recent developments brought by the Arab springs, a more interesting outcome might open, according to some commentators who pondered some reforms H.M. accomplished lately, by giving more power to his people : he may pave the way to a constitutional monarchy .
This will take quite a long time, as Oman has strong tribal traditions and is still very young in the exercise of the majilis ash shura (the small parliament having an advisory role), but it seems a very feasible solution .
There are two issues being reasons of concern for the stability of Sultan Qaboos reign : one is the relationship with his people, and the other is of religious nature .
Omanis do love their sultan deeply .
A foreign citizen, entering the country for a short vacation, will immediately feel this loving atmosphere which doesn't come out of fear, but by the awareness of what their ruler has done for them .
Nevertheless the young generation (mostly in their 30s and 40s) acknowledge that still he hasn't been capable to realize their dreams, in terms of freedom of expression .
Still control on media and internet is very tight .
They attribute this, either to H.M. advisors, or to his fear to grant complete freedom .
The religious issue comes from the South, where people follow all the Sunni sect, rather the Wahabi type, unlike the rest of the country which is, according to the official annual census, Ibadi .
Their belief is very close to the Sunni, but with some differences .
The danger from the south, is that they often claim their right to separate and join their fellow Saudi Muslims .
It has happened in the past, that they followed the dates of Islamic celebrations as per Saudi calendar, rejecting the Omani religious authority .
For a couple of years, H.M., slightly irritated by this attitude, did not go and stay in Salalah, despite this being one of his favourite spots, as his mother was from there, and he spent his childhood in the palace with her .
So truly Oman is a sort of happy paradise for both locals and expats, but presents some criticality points, which needs to be addressed and handled with extreme caution, or they might be detrimental for the stability of the country .
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