Drysdale speaks about Oman's foreign policy prior to the Second Gulf War.

Well Omanis, like all other Arabs, would be very strongly opposed to a U.S. attack on Iraq. In that sense it's just the solidarity among Arabs, the sense of affinity. And also a feeling that it would be a terrible mistake. That doesn't mean that they're enamored with Saddam Hussein, because they're not. I think the people throughout the Middle East have a sense of who the man is.

Oman is really on the periphery of the Arab world, and it was one of very, very few Arab countries that established trade mission with Israel. There was actually an Israeli…something like a trade office in Muscat, which was very unusual. I mean you would never ever have seen that in any other Arab, Arabian Peninsula country. So in that sense Oman was really sticking its neck out. That office was closed in 2000 because of the Intifada, in the West Bank and Gaza, because there were demonstrations in Oman.

So, even a peripheral, sort of remote country like Oman is clearly affected by what's going on. And the feeling is that the U.S. has a double standard. Why should they be concerned about Iraq violating U.N. resolutions and seemingly unconcerned with Israel doing the same thing. [I'm] kind of paraphrasing what people say. And it's also a universal sense from, from well-educated people to someone from the countryside. They kind of speak with one voice in that respect.