Gulf expats hunker down between bouts of war

SIX months into the Middle East war, the army of foreign workers and expatriates in the Gulf has largely stayed put — hoping to ride out the uncertainty caused by conflict rather than return to dim prospects back home.

For most of the oil-rich Gulf states, foreigners from Global South countries make up the majority of the population, forming the bedrock of the economy as high-end consultants, manual labourers, healthcare professionals and everything in between.

Making it to the Gulf, where salaries are higher than at home, and untaxed,…