Africa & Middle East

Oman

Political journey

An old maritime sultanate unified in the 18th century, Oman was long isolated until Sultan Qaboos overthrew his father in 1970 and modernized the country. Since he died in 2020, Sultan Haitham has ruled. Oman follows the Ibadi branch of Islam and a policy of neutrality and mediation, notably between Iran and the West.

Oman today

Its current leader’s position on the ten Caucus dimensions.

💰EconomySlightly state-led
State-ledFree market
⚖️Liberty and authorityStrongly authoritarian
LibertarianAuthoritarian
🎭CultureStrongly traditional
ProgressiveTraditional
🌍NationSlightly nationalist
GlobalistNationalist
🌱EnvironmentSlightly nature-first
Growth-firstNature-first
🤖TechnologyLeaning tech-optimist
Tech-cautiousTech-optimist
🕊️War and peaceCentered on war and peace
Peace-firstStrength-first
🏛️InstitutionsLeaning institutional
Anti-establishmentInstitutional
🙏ReligionStrongly religious
SecularReligious
🛡️InterventionismLeaning non-interventionist
Non-interventionistInterventionist

Who leads Oman today

Portrait of Haitham bin Tariq

Haitham bin Tariq

Sultan and Prime Minister of Oman, 2020 to present

A former culture minister who succeeded Sultan Qaboos, he continues Oman’s policy of neutrality and quiet mediation between Iran, the Gulf states and the West.

Haitham bin Tariq sits in the left-authoritarian part of the Caucus economy and liberty compass: slightly state-led and strongly authoritarian. The clearest positions are strongly authoritarian on liberty and authority, strongly religious on religion and strongly traditional on culture. The profile is close to the middle on war and peace.

Full profile of Haitham bin Tariq →

Political views closest to Oman’s leadership

Confucian meritocracyPrefers rule by educated, moral officials chosen by merit over competitive elections.96%CorporatismOrganizes society into industry and professional bodies that bargain with the state, an…96%Christian democracyBlends Christian social teaching, a social market economy and European cooperation.95%One-nation conservatismA paternalist conservatism holding that the better off owe duties to the poor and to…95%

Countries with similar leadership

Ranked by how close their current leaders are on the ten dimensions.

BruneiAsia & Oceania99%KiribatiAsia & Oceania99%EswatiniAfrica & Middle East98%DjiboutiAfrica & Middle East98%

Country histories are short summaries. Positions are simplified estimates of the leaders included in Caucus as of October 2026, and percentages show how close two profiles are across all ten dimensions.