Economic reform is key to the future of a region which needs to diversify away from dependency on oil, or a reliance on international funding. There has been both resistance and progress so far.
Bahrain's oil sector is relatively small for the Gulf. So, the kingdom has been an early adopter of economic diversification and has harnessed the advantage of a well-developed education sector.
The conflict has forced Russia to scale back its global footprint and NATO to boost its defence spending. Meanwhile, China and Middle powers have emerged as key beneficiaries.
As the US and Iran head to talks in Geneva, competing forces are pulling Trump in opposite directions. There are only two "good" scenarios in front of him, and neither will be easy to achieve.
His arrest is the first for a British royal in modern history and comes after it was revealed he had passed confidential state documents to US financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein
Faris Al-Muhanna dreams of one day creating a digital archive to safeguard the history and memory of Lebanon's most iconic artist for future generations