Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 34 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
OpEdNews Op Eds   

To Oman from Kansas: Humble Solution for one Petroleum Overly Dependent Economy

By       (Page 1 of 3 pages)   4 comments
Follow Me on Twitter     Message Kevin Anthony Stoda
Become a Fan
  (9 fans)
Modest Development Proposal for my Omani Friends: An Aircraft Insustry for Oman
Posted on June 25, 2016, by
1 Votes

by Kevin Stoda, a historian from Kansas (USA)

Dear Omanis,

Notice how in some maps, Oman is at the center of the Middle East? This implies that Oman has often been on major trade routes. It could also, however, manufacture and sell its own products through its buying, transporting, and selling activities--and we are not just talking about petroleum here.

I encourage you to think bigger, plan bigger, and employ your young engineers in a mechanical field that has been all-but-ignored in your (Oman's) world-class catch-up development efforts since the mid 1970s in your (Oman's) world-class catch-up development efforts since the mid 1970s.

I have been concerned by the fact that since the drop in petroleum prices two years ago that the leadership of the country has opted for austerity instead of promoting education, training, and new industries that would best serve the country. This is a fairly short-sighted decision and neglects a full commitment to develop and educate the peoples of Oman more.

For example , I observed with dismay that the country's train projects to Kuwait have been mostly put on hiatus. (Moreover, the stretch between Salalah and Sohar had not even been seriously planned before the cut-backs in projects started.) Because of its strategic location in the Indian Ocean, Oman should instead be planning to become a new powerhouse in transport, instead of falling back on dependence on the petroleum industry again; i.e., as prices slowly rise once again on the international markets there is a temptation to follow the same-old practices of the past 5 decades.

In short, now is not the time to slow down on the diversification of the economy, nor is it time to reduce funding for education and training across the land. Sustainability and diversification should be the mantra of the day--not austerity.

May I humbly suggest a completely new industry to invest in and to promote. I encourage this because (like my home state of Kansas in the USA) your country is geographically well-suited for the the production and sales of commercial aircraft (with an eye to many other growing commercial aviation markets in Africa and Asia over the coming decades).

The export terminals of northern, cental and southern Oman could serve as shipping gateways for the proposed aircraft products to nearly a hundred countries located on those two continents alone. Likewise, in the commercial development of the internal market of Oman, Sohar and other regions could become once again accessible to the international airline industry.

KANSAS MODEL

I will continue explaining why Oman is a great fit for developing a small commercial aircraft industry, but first allow me to share a short history about my home state of Kansas (which is only 3/4 the the size of Oman but slightly larger in size to a combined Syria and Lebanon), which has a population of just under 3 million people WHILE year-after-year impacting the commercial and military aviation for over a full century.

First, notice how in many maps, the state of Kansas is at the center of the United states or even of North America? In short, it is at the crossroads of Mexico and Canada as well as on the east-west trade routes from New York to California and from Florida to Washington.

The city of Wichita, Kansas, which is roughly twice the size of Salalah, currently has over 21 airplane-manufacturing firms in the city. The combined countries of Oman and Saudi Arabia do not even currently have half that many total companies working in the aviation sector.

Two of the most famous names in commercial aviation started in Kansas: Cessna and Beechcraft. In fact, the "history of Cessna aviation began in June 1911, when Clyde Cessna, a farmer in Rago, Kansas, built a wood-and-fabric airplane and became the first person to build and fly a powered aircraft in the heartland of America, between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains."

Next Page  1  |  2  |  3

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

Rate It | View Ratings

Kevin Anthony Stoda Social Media Pages: Facebook Page       Twitter Page       Linked In Page       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

KEVIN STODA-has been blessed to have either traveled in or worked in nearly 100 countries on five continents over the past two and a half decades.--He sees himself as a peace educator and have been-- a promoter of good economic and social development--making-him an enemy of my homelands humongous DEFENSE SPENDING and its focus on using weapons to try and solve global (more...)
 

Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Follow Me on Twitter     Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

BED-INs and Other Protests Needed Now

Why have German-, Italian- and Latin American Internment during WWII been kept out of the USA History books?

GULF CIVIL SOCIETY FORUM calls for Gulf Monarchies to abandon absolutism and to adopt European-style Parliaments

TRIBE, TRIBALISM AND CULTURAL CHANGE-KUWAIT 2008

A WORLD OF PRETENDERS: Partial Review of the Filipino Novel, THE PRETENDERS by F. Sionil Jose

PHILIPP ROESLER, of Vietnamese Descent. to Head the Health Ministry in Germany, as his own Party Plans to Push for more

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend