O velho sultão de Omã

Happily, I have cause to be in Oman this week and, after an eight-month absence for medical treatment in Germany, so too is the country’s sultan, Qaboos bin Said al‑Said. The sultan has held power since 1970, prompting rising concerns about whether political stability in Oman will survive an eventual transfer of power. That the country has managed during the sultan’s extended absence is a sign that it could, but doubts remain—particularly as the succession plan is an untested one involving a secret envelope. Like many others in the Gulf Co-operation Council, Oman has undergone an incredible transition over the last 50 years, morphing from an agrarian economy into one of the wealthiest places on the planet (albeit less affluent than the rest of the GCC). Yet the recent steep fall in oil prices highlights Oman’s lack of economic diversification: the hydrocarbons sector accounts for just under 50% of GDP. The sultanate is developing a strategy to broaden its economic base, focusing on sectors such as logistics and tourism—and I can certainly recommend the latter if you're looking for something different in the Gulf. But I do worry about the long-term sustainability of many of the region’s economies. Simon Baptist, The Economist

---- O velho sultão de Omã tem 74 anos e nenhum filho, pelo que a sua sucessão vai ser algo complicada.