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Podcast: Middle East Dossier
Episode: Gulf Reformers and South-east Asian Retrenchers
Description: To match the breakneck speed of their progress, the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have both initiated bold social reforms recently.
In its drive to attract foreign talent, a condition for stronger competitiveness, the Emirates relaxed laws banning the cohabitation among unmarried couples and alcohol consumption. In Saudi Arabia, freedom for women to drive, and to decide whether to wear the hijab, have amounted to a break with past social practices, speeding up their integration into public and economic life. These changes, which are ushering in a more conducive social climate for realising...