UNIPATH STAFF
For more than a year, the Saudi-led Islamic Counter-Terrorism Center has worked to combat groups such as Daesh and establish a strong network of Arab states in defense of regional stability.
In December 2016, the coalition scored another victory, as Oman opted to become the alliance’s 41st member, increasing Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) participation and creating “a new chapter in regional and Muslim unity,” according to an Arab News editorial.
As neighbors and fellow GCC states, Oman and Saudi Arabia have long maintained a close relationship, though Oman has in some cases opted for neutrality as tensions escalate in the region. By joining the Saudi alliance, Oman signals its commitment to work with fellow Arab states to fend off new transnational threats from ultraviolent extremists such as al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula and the Islamic State in Yemen.
Even before joining the alliance, Oman participated in some of its joint drills and exercises, including Operation North Thunder in Saudi Arabia, which included 20 Arab Muslim nations. Muscat’s choice to participate underscored the sultanate’s interest in working with the coalition to share intelligence and strengthen counterterrorism initiatives within the Arabian Peninsula.
The long-term strategic implications of Oman joining the Islamic Counter-Terrorism Center are unclear. Oman’s foreign policy has largely rested on the pillars of neutrality and nonintervention. Given that the counterterror organization is based on the idea of a mostly Sunni Muslim military alliance working together to defeat terrorists in hot spots across the Islamic world, active Omani participation would mark a major change in foreign policy.
Sources: Al-Monitor, Arab News