Columbia International Affairs Online: Policy Briefs

CIAO DATE: 02/2010

Online Discourse in the Arab World

Joel Whitaker, Anand Varghese

December 2009

United States Institute of Peace

Abstract

A new USIP report examines online discourse in the Arab world and emerging trends of the blogosphere. The report is based on an event held at the U.S. Institute of Peace on June 17, 2009, when researchers from Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet & Society presented their findings from a comprehensive mapping of the Arabic-language blogosphere. Authors Joel Whitaker and Anand Varghese assess the conclusions of the groundbreaking research and their implications for policymakers and peacebuilders around the world.