Dr. Arafat earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Maryland in the United States. He subsequently worked there before joining the Faculty of Economics and Political Sciences at Cairo University in Egypt. Additionally, he gained experience by working at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in South Korea, and both Qatar University and Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar.

Dr. Arafat's research encompasses various topics within comparative politics and international relations, including multiculturalism, state fragility, personality cult, political reform in monocratic regimes, peacebuilding in protracted social conflicts, and decentralized conflicts.