YOUNG OMANIS SOUND OFF ON REGIONAL ISSUES,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MUSCAT 000424

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/09/2018
TAGS: PREL KDEM KMPI KPAL IZ MU
SUBJECT: YOUNG OMANIS SOUND OFF ON REGIONAL ISSUES,
DEMOCRACY

REF: A. MUSCAT 169


B. 07 MUSCAT 1040

Classified By: Ambassador Gary A. Grappo for Reasons 1.4 (b, d)

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) During a recent meeting with the Ambassador, a group
of young professionals shared their views on Iraq, the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, democracy, and the public image
of the U.S. Participants were downbeat on Iraq and thought
it was inevitable that the U.S. would withdraw its troops
from the country. The group criticized the U.S. for its "one
sided" support of Israel, but also blamed the Palestinians
for the continuing conflict in the West Bank/Gaza. Opinions
on democracy were divergent, with some claiming the country
was not ready for Western-style democratic governance, while
others favored its immediate, albeit gradual introduction.
All agreed, however, that democracy cannot be "imposed" from
the outside. Both Arab and Western media outlets were
fingered for promoting negative images of, respectively, the
U.S. and Arab countries to their audiences. To improve
public perception of the U.S., the group did not call for
whole-scale policy shifts, but recommended a more thorough
explanation of U.S. policies and goals. End Summary.

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PESSIMISTIC VIEWS ON IRAQ
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2. (C) In the third of a series of Embassy-sponsored small
group discussions designed to gauge the candid opinions of
Omanis on selected subjects (refs A, B),the Ambassador
hosted 23 young professional men and women from the private
sector at his residence on May 13. The conversation started
with a focus on Iraq. Most participants held a pessimistic
view of the situation there and expressed a belief that the
U.S. would have little choice but to withdraw troops from
Iraq due to domestic pressures and other factors. While one
woman voiced her view that a pull-out of U.S. troops should
occur quickly, several in the group cautioned that a
withdrawal should only be conducted in "well thought-out
phases." "It would be extremely irresponsible," one Omani
stated, to remove U.S. troops before Iraqi forces were
prepared to fill the resulting void. Both Western and Arab
media outlets were identified for promoting negative public
perceptions vis-a-vis the U.S. and Arab countries to their
respective audiences

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PERCEPTIONS OF DEMOCRACY
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3. (C) The topic of democracy generated considerable
interest among the group, as well as divergent opinions. One
female participant expressed her firm belief that a
Western-style democratic political system required "civic
education" and a general public understanding of the concept
before it could be introduced in a country such as Oman.
Otherwise, she warned, democracy could be misused to "hurt
minority groups." Another participant strongly disagreed,
stating that democracy could immediately be introduced in
Oman, albeit "gradually in certain areas." A majority of the
group agreed that democracy, although not necessarily as
defined in the West, should be encouraged in Oman, but also
be allowed to develop in accordance with Oman's culture and
traditions.


4. (C) When asked by the Ambassador for their opinions on
U.S. programs supporting democracy in Oman, most participants
responded that they were not aware of any such programs.
(Note: Public recognition of U.S. reform-related assistance
in Oman, including programs under the Middle East Partnership
Initiative, is constrained by sensitivities in the
government, media and fledgling NGO community. End Note.)
Several in the group shared their impressions, formed in part
by what they saw and read in the media, that the U.S. was
"too heavy handed" in trying to advance its version of
democracy in the Arab world. Group consensus was that
democracy could never be successfully "imposed" on a country.
Instead, several argued, each state must be allowed to plot
its own political course and "determine its own destiny."
One Omani man, in reference to Hamas' victory in Palestinian
elections in 2006, asked whether the U.S. would accept the
results of a democratic election in a regional state that
resulted in a "fundamentalist religious regime" assuming
political power.


5. (C) A handful of participants asserted that the adoption
of democratic governments throughout the globe had "failed to

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solve world problems." Poverty, for example, continued to be
a major problem in many democracies, they stated. Two group
members, who had participated in Embassy-sponsored exchange
programs recently, drew a negative link between Western-style
democracy and excessive consumerism and materialistic values.
"We don't want America's problems in Oman," they remarked.

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CRITICISM OF THE U.S., ISRAEL AND THE PALESTINIANS
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6. (C) Turning to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, one
Omani joked that he had a simple solution: "The U.S. should
stop supporting Israel!" Most others, however, voiced the
opinion that the U.S. needed to adopt a more "balanced"
approach and that the U.S. was currently too "one-sided" to
play the role of a neutral mediator. A few participants
stated that the U.S. could not continue to "ignore" Hamas,
especially since it won the most votes in the latest
Palestinian national elections.


7. (C) Criticism of the U.S. and Israel by the group did not
translate into unqualified support or praise for the
Palestinians. Rather, several participants stated that the
Palestinians bore at least some responsibility for their
current situation. One young woman accused Palestinians
living abroad of failing to contribute to the welfare of
their countrymen in the West Bank/Gaza.

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OVERCOMING NEGATIVE IMAGES
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8. (C) The final subject of discussion was the public image
of the U.S. in the Arab world. Several Omanis said that
negative views of the U.S. in the region, as well as
perceived Western suspicions towards Arabs and Muslims, was
due in large part to the media. Both Western and Arab media
outlets, they argued, were "too slanted" towards the biases
of their own nationals and played on people's emotions
through vivid imagery and provocative language. To improve
its image in the region, the group interestingly enough did
not emphasize a major course correction in U.S. policies.
Several participants instead advised the U.S. to "slow down"
and better explain its positions in order to increase public
understanding, and perhaps even acceptance, of its motives
and goals.
GRAPPO