Communication and Transition in the Middle East

Abstract

US intervention in the Middle East builds on a problematic assumption that western technology and knowledge will transform the region into modern, democratic nation-states. The Arab Middle East in particular tends to be constructed in public discourse as suffering from social, political and economic hardships, in order to justify military action and development assistance. In this article, the author considers and critiques recent development intervention using communication technologies in terms of academic literature on communication and transition in the Middle East.