Oman hits economic turbulence, but who is flying the plane?

With an absent sultan and oil hovering around $60/bbl, Oman’s economic future is up in the air. Economic uncertainty is all the more challenging due to structural shortcomings which, despite decades of planning, remain obstinately in place; if anything, they have worsened over the past three years. Political questions over who will replace Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al-Said – who has been in Germany, where he is understood to be having medical treatment for cancer, for almost eight months – have only ramped up financial jitters.