Growing up, I had always thought Lebanon was the smallest among the Arab states. It was actually Bahrain that was the tiniest. At the time, the word "Gulf States" meant, to me, vast gold-plated empires.
The Bahrain Blackout in Arab Media
![A protester uses a mobile device to take a video of an anti-government protest in the capital Manama December 17, 2012. Protesters, shouting anti-government slogans, attempted to regroup from various points to march against a ban on demonstrations. Riot police dispersed them and arrested at least three protesters. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed (BAHRAIN - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST)](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/01/1-RTR3BOJC.jpg/1-RTR3BOJC.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=6lSvp6Cf)
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