On Monday the 12th of July, we kicked off 'AFKARI', an engaging Instagram Live short discussion series!

AFKARI presents thought-provoking 30-minute discussions that delve into various pressing issues within the areas of work of the Arab Reform Initiative.

Our first AFKARI discussion was feature a conversation between our esteemed Project Coordinator, Berfin Necimoglu, and our new Non-Resident Fellow, Hossam El-Hamalawy (aka 3arabawy). They discussed Berfin's new paper on the re-introduction of Conscription in the Gulf.

Together, they explored the following: What are the underlying reasons behind the surging popularity of mandatory military service in the Gulf? What implications does this trend have for the security sector in the MENA region? To what extent can mandatory military service address the nation-building gaps within the rentier state model?