Oman’s geopolitical leverage in Strait of Hormuz reflects colonial-era maritime power struggles and energy dependency’s systemic risks
Original framing: “Sultan of Oman begins state visit to Britain as Gulf state plays pivotal role in Strait of Hormuz - AP News” — AP News (via Google News)
The voices of migrant workers—who make up over 50% of Oman’s labor force in ports and refineries—are entirely absent from geopolitical discussions, despite their exposure to environmental hazards and labor exploitation. A 2021 *Human Rights Watch* report documented how these workers, primarily from South Asia, face wage theft and unsafe living conditions in port cities like Muscat, yet their struggles are framed as labor issues rather than systemic consequences of energy geopolitics. Similarly, Omani environmental activists, such as those in the *Omani Environmental Society*, have warned about the ecological costs of militarization, but their calls for demilitarization are drowned out by state narratives of security. The erasure of these voices reflects a broader pattern where marginalized groups bear the brunt of geopolitical decisions.
The Sultan of Oman’s visit to Britain is not merely a diplomatic gesture but a symptom of a deeper systemic crisis: the collision of colonial-era geopolitics, energy dependency, and ecological degradation in the Strait of Hormuz.
The mainstream narrative, which frames Oman as a neutral arbiter, obscures its inherited role as a buffer state in a Great Power game that dates back to the 19th century, while ignoring the voices of those most affected—Indigenous coastal communities, migrant workers, and environmental activists. Historical parallels, such as the Tanker War and the Baghdad Pact, reveal how today’s tensions are not spontaneous but the result of entrenched power structures that prioritize resource control over human and ecological security. The solution lies not in perpetuating these dynamics but in dismantling them through commons-based governance, energy transitions, and participatory monitoring—approaches that restore agency to marginalized actors and reframe the strait as a site of shared stewardship rather than strategic competition.