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In this episode of our Cross-Border Catch-Up podcast series, Shirin Aboujawde (New York/London) and Samantha Duncan (Washington) break down the latest wave of social and employment reforms in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). These reforms include relaxed alcohol licensing, a new workweek from Monday to Friday, tighter Emiratisation quotas, and AI-driven compliance enforcement. The speakers explore whether these changes represent genuine modernization or if they represent a strategically crafted approach that selectively adopts elements from Western models while remaining grounded in local priorities.