The spectrum of sentiment has been wide in the Gulf over the past couple of days, from quiet confidence to outright panic.
Gulf locals, famously, often display a blind trust in their governments, some of which seems to have seeped into the LinkedIn-inclined expat class. Many in the latter group have taken to the platform to express gratitude to leaders, praise what they describe as swift and decisive action, and insist there is no safer place to ride out regional turmoil than their respective Gulf country.
That tone has spilled across social media, flooding Instagram feeds. Whether the messaging is spontaneous or state-driven is unclear.
On the ground, the split is sharper. Some expats echo the confidence; others are terrified, sleeping in cars in garages, and scanning for the nearest exits. Experience across countries has also varied greatly: Most Riyadh-based expats, who have not heard an explosion, are not bothered. If you live in Bahrain or Dubai and have had greater exposure, it feels a bit different.