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Faithexplainer

Christianity in the Gulf

Millions of Christians live and worship in the Gulf states, most of them migrant workers. Their churches sit on top of a far older Christian history in eastern Arabia.

Politicsanalysis

Divided at Home: How Israelis Saw the Iraq War

The idea that Israel pushed America into Iraq was popular on both the left and the right. The record at home was messier: Israeli opinion was split, and the government's calculations were more cautious than the neoconservative project.

Gulfanalysis

Bahrain Unrest Brings Economy to a Standstill

The 2011 uprising hit Bahrain's banks, tourism and credit rating at once. More than a decade later, the island is still paying for the crisis in debt and dependence on its Gulf neighbours.

Iraqanalysis

100,000 Iraqi Dead: The Lancet Studies and the Media

In 2004 and 2006, two surveys in The Lancet estimated that the Iraq war had killed far more civilians than officials acknowledged. The fierce reaction to them became a case study in how wars are counted.

Faithexplainer

The Prophet Muhammad's Promise to Christians

A covenant attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, preserved for centuries at St Catherine's Monastery in Sinai, promises protection to Christians. What does it say, and how authentic is it?