The Section
World.
World stories that wash up on Gulf shores first. Diplomacy, diaspora, supply chains, and the global currents that nobody saw coming except, occasionally, us.
The Second Passport Has Become a Piece of Furniture, Not a Decision
Why the regional professional class has stopped treating the second citizenship as an ambitious life choice and started treating it as a moderately interesting drawer in the desk.
By Priya Chen
WorldJun 4
The Airport Transit Zone Is Now the Region's Most Underrated Soft Power Instrument
Forget the embassies. Forget the cultural attaches. The first impression of a country is now formed in the eight minutes between the jetbridge and the connecting gate.
By Mira Faraj
WorldJun 3
The Suitcase Economy of the Arrivals Hall Is Bigger Than the Trade Statistics
Why a quietly enormous category of regional cross-border commerce is moving in passengers' checked baggage, and why nobody who tracks trade data is counting it.
By Mira Faraj
WorldJun 3
A Global Shipping Route Just Quietly Rerouted Itself
It was not in any communique. It was not announced. It happened in the AIS data three weeks ago and the only people who have noticed are the people who pay for AIS data.
By Mira Faraj
WorldJun 3
Central Asia Is Quietly the Next Pipeline of Pipelines
Why a region nobody in Gulf finance was thinking about three years ago is suddenly on every infrastructure desk's whiteboard.
By Marcus Okafor
WorldJun 3
The Diaspora Is Banking Differently. The Banks Have Not Quite Noticed.
Why the remittance corridor between a particular pair of countries is being quietly disintermediated, and what the incumbent banks are doing about it, which is mostly nothing.
By Lena Holloway
WorldJun 3
The Embassy Iftar Is the Most Underestimated Instrument of Regional Foreign Policy
Why a single carefully assembled guest list, served on a single carefully assembled plate, can do more strategic work in three hours than a year of communiques.
By Lena Holloway
WorldJun 3
North African Renewables Are Quietly Becoming a Gulf Investment Story
Why several Gulf funds have started buying meaningful positions in renewables projects across North Africa, and what the local governments are doing about it.
By Lena Holloway
WorldSep 17
The Majority That Cannot Vote: The Gulf's Expat Question
In several Gulf states, foreign workers outnumber citizens, creating a society and an economy built on a population with no path to belonging.
By Sara Qureshi
WorldSep 5
Growing Dinner in a Dune: The Gulf's Food and Water Gamble
States that import most of what they eat and manufacture much of what they drink are treating supply security as a matter of survival.
By Mira Faraj
WorldAug 26
Stadium Diplomacy: The Logic Behind the Gulf's Sports Spree
Hosting tournaments and buying clubs is not vanity; it is a calculated bid for relevance, tourism and a softer global image.
By Diego Arroyo
WorldAug 2
The Squeeze Points: How the Gulf Sits Astride Global Trade
A handful of narrow waterways near the Gulf carry an outsized share of the world's energy and goods, which is both a blessing and a vulnerability.
By Sara Qureshi
WorldJun 16
Navigating the Gulf's Mega-Hubs: DXB, DOH and AUH
Three of the world's busiest airports, and how to move through them like you own the place.
By Lena Holloway
WorldMay 19
A Wellness Weekend in the Gulf
Hammams, desert silence and over-water spas, how to actually unwind in a region built for indulgence.
By Sara Qureshi
WorldMay 5
Hiking the UAE: Wadis, Ridges and Mountain Air
Beyond the dunes lies a craggy mountain country most visitors never see on foot.
By Priya Chen
WorldApr 21
Where to Dive in the Gulf
Shipwrecks, shark-patrolled reefs and the world's largest fish, the region's best underwater is closer than you think.
By Diego Arroyo
WorldApr 8
How to Beat the Gulf Summer (and Still Have Fun)
The mercury hits the forties and stays there, here is how locals actually enjoy summer.
By Marcus Okafor
WorldMar 17
Ras Al Khaimah and the Roof of the Emirates
Adventure tourism's quiet star: the UAE's highest peak, its longest zipline, and a cooler climate.
By Mira Faraj
WorldMar 10
Eid Traditions Explained, from the Dawn Prayer to the Eidiya Envelope
A guide to the two Eids and the rituals that fill them, so you can join in rather than merely observe.
By Sara Qureshi
WorldMar 3
Abu Dhabi With Kids, Without Losing Your Mind
Theme parks, a grand mosque, and beaches, a parent-tested plan for the capital.
By Priya Chen
WorldFeb 18
Qatar in 48 Hours
A long layover or a quick weekend, here is how to see the best of Doha before your flight out.
By Sara Qureshi
WorldFeb 6
Making Karak Chai Strong Enough to Stand a Spoon In
The cafeteria glass of sweet, spiced, milky tea that runs the Gulf, recreated in your own kitchen, step by step.
By Marcus Okafor
WorldFeb 4
Oman by Road: From the Musandam Fjords to Salalah's Green South
Two ends of one country, a thousand kilometres apart, and both worth the drive.
By Diego Arroyo
WorldJan 24
A Guide to Gulf Souqs, from the Gold Lanes to the Fish Market at Dawn
How to navigate the gold, textile, and fish souqs like someone who has done it before, with the right timing and the right questions.
By Diego Arroyo