Podcast Citizens in Training
Podcast

Citizens in Training

Through a series of expert interviews, this podcast mini-series explores some of the most pressing questions raised by the CSIS Middle East Program report, “Citizens in Training: Conscription and Nation-building in the United Arab Emirates.”

Hear from leading experts on the Gulf, the UAE, and modern militaries in general what the UAE’s bold experiment in military conscription as a nationbuilding tool reveals about the leadership’s diagnosis of its key challenges at a pivotal moment in its national trajectory, the rise of new nationalism in the Gulf and GCC states’ efforts to prepare for a post-oil future, and the implications of conscription for both militaries and societies in a 21st century world. Jon Alterman and Margo Balboni of the Middle East Program host. Produced by Emily Grunewald and Yumi Araki.

For listeners who want a deeper dive into the UAE’s conscription program, the full “Citizens in Training” report with a two-page executive summary is available here.

Podcast Series by Jon B. Alterman

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Citizens in Training

Conscription and the Social Contract in the Gulf

​In this episode, Jon Alterman is joined by Dr. Steffen Hertog, an associate professor in comparative politics at the London School of Economics. Steffen discusses the goals and long-term prospects of the UAE’s national service program in the context of shifting relations between Gulf militaries, governments, and societies.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman — May 1, 2018

Podcast Citizens in Training
Citizens in Training

A Nordic Model for the UAE?

In this episode, Jon Alterman takes a broader view of conscription with Elisabeth Braw, a NATO expert and nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman — April 24, 2018

Podcast Citizens in Training
Citizens in Training

Building a Conscription Society

In this episode, Jon Alterman talks to Dave DesRoches, associate professor and senior military fellow with the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University.

Podcast Episode — April 17, 2018

Podcast Citizens in Training
Citizens in Training

National Service and the “Entitled Patriot”

​In this episode, Jon Alterman speaks to Dr. Calvert Jones, assistant professor at the University of Maryland, College Park in the department of government and politics and the author of Bedouins Into Bourgeois: Remaking Citizens for Globalization.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman — April 3, 2018

Podcast Citizens in Training
Citizens in Training

"Little Sparta" and the Gulf’s New Nationalism

This episode situates the UAE’s conscription program in the context of a “new nationalism” in Gulf Arab countries that seeks in part to galvanize citizens to contribute more actively to the state.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman — March 27, 2018

Podcast Citizens in Training
Citizens in Training

Enlisting the Emirates

The UAE’s choices—not least the use of a military model for social engineering—will have important implications for Emiratis and any who seek to follow the UAE’s example.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman — March 20, 2018

Podcast Citizens in Training