Oman Emerges: An American Company in an Ancient Kingdom (review)

Lois Critchfield is a former Central Intelligence Agency employee who worked in Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey and the wife of the late James Critchfield, president of Tetra Tech International (TTI) and subject of this book. In it, she argues that James Critchfield played a central role from 1975-1988 in the development of Oman both as a personal advisor to Sultan Qaboos bin Sa'id Al Sa'id and through the oil, water, and other infrastructure planning and projects completed by TTI.

Critchfield divides the story into three sections. "Part I: Oman in Transition" provides historical background to 1975, including a survey of United States relations with Oman; the first years of the reign of Sultan Qaboos; the emergence of a group of American advisors, including Robert Anderson, Tom Hill, Charles Black, C. Stribling Snodgrass, and Chester Nagle; and Oman's early foreign policy efforts, and oil and finance policy.

In "Part II: Oman's Critical Development Begins," Critchfield traces the rise of TTI, beginning with the company's founding and early operations in Oman, and then its role in water-resource development, the Masandam Development Committee, and the formulation of a long-term energy policy.

"Part III: Critical Developments in Oman 1980-1990" documents TTI's diminishing role in the Sultanate. Although the company began the decade taking on the implementation of a development plan for the Buraimi/Dhahirah region, Critchfield describes how successful completion of the water and Masandam development projects and the combination of philosophical differences in such matters as energy policy and pressures for "Omanization" brought TTI's operations to an end in 1988. The Epilogue summarizes economic issues in Oman to 2006.

Based extensively on James Critchfield's papers and her own personal involvement, Lois Critchfield makes a compelling case for TTI's central role in Oman's economic growth to 1988. A case in point is TTI's involvement in water resource development, covered principally in chapters 12 and 20 and throughout the book in regard to Masandam, regional development, and even energy policy, in which Critchfield describes the entire process, beginning with a water survey, the formulation of a water policy and institutional structure, the Public Authority for Water Resources, and TTI's continued, sometimes troubled, involvement with water issues through the end of their contract in 1986. In the process, Critchfield provides the reader with detailed descriptions of the inner workings of Oman's decision-making processes during this critical period. It is a most interesting story.

James Critchfield and Tetra Tech International were controversial subjects during their time in Oman. Critchfield and the other American and non-Omani advisors surrounding Sultan Qaboos at this time were often referred to as the "Muscat Mafia," and Critchfield's CIA past was not ignored when the press wrote about his company and questioned its true motives (see pp. 289-290). Lois Critchfield has done an outstanding job of providing an insider's detailed account of TTI's accomplishments and describing James Critchfield's commitment to serving the interests of Sultan Qaboos in his efforts to improve economic conditions in Oman.