Guwahati, Aug. 17 -- On August 2, 2026, I travelled to the UAE and later took a road journey by bus to Muscat, Oman. What made the trip unusual was not only the geography I was crossing, but also the geopolitical reality surrounding it.

From Abu Dhabi, while looking across the waters of the Persian Gulf, my Pakistani driver pointed towards the direction of Iran and remarked that the Iranian coast was surprisingly close. The conversation immediately brought the ongoing US-Israel-Iran conflict to mind. Yet, what struck me most during the journey was the extraordinary contrast between the intensity of the war reported in international news and the normal rhythm of everyday life that I experienced in the UAE and Oman.

The conflict had enter...