Potential Soft Powers of Oman: Chairs, Cultural Centers and Students

This paper explores Oman’s potential soft power instruments such as international students, sixteen university chairs in the world, cultural centers, SQ Prizes, charity organizations contributions, and language centers. Oman has the highest number of university chairs abroad in comparison with the other GCC countries, but unfortunately, their benefits and contribution to Oman’s soft power in those host countries is almost none despite some of them established forty years ago. Those should be put into force again by taking recommended steps in this study. Also, international students’ numbers should be increased in the state and private universities and language centers by giving some visa and work privileges to the applicants from the beginning of their education in Oman. SQ Language Center in Manah and SQ Cultural center in Washington are the best two working institutions as public diplomacy tools and soft power components of Oman. However, unfortunately, the majority of the other instruments do not give enough contribution to Oman’s soft power. That is why some necessary steps should be taken on the ground to resurrect those institutions as Oman’s potential soft power instruments in the host countries.