The Internet in the Middle East

The book includes a historical overview of the values and design principles embedded in the Internet by its inventors and early adopters, and examines the major questions, debates, assumptions, and findings of the emerging field of Internet studies. Drawing on six years of research, including three years of fieldwork in Kuwait, Dubai, Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco, Wheeler provides a comparative overview of the meaning and manifestations of the Internet in the Middle East, giving careful attention to whether or not the Internet lives up to global expectations of promoting democracy, economic privatization, and personal freedom.