Category Archives: Middle East

Bill Gates to Development Researchers: Create and Share Statistics

Posted on June 8, 2009 by vcs

I was recently in Doha, Qatar, presenting my research on global communication technology use and democratic tendency at ICTD09. I spoke right before the keynote, Bill Gates, whose main point was that when you engage in a goal-oriented activity, such … Continue reading →

Posted in Conferences, Developing world, Economics, Human Rights, Internet and Democracy, Middle East, Open Science, Statistics, Talks, Technology | Leave a comment

Internet and Cell Phone Use in the Middle East

Posted on May 19, 2008 by vcs

When people talk about the Internet and Democracy, especially in the context of the Middle East, I wonder just how pervasive the Internet really is in these countries. I made a quick plot of data for Middle Eastern countries from … Continue reading →

Posted in Middle East, Statistics, Technology | 1 Comment

Book Review: "What Went Wrong" by Bernard Lewis

Posted on March 15, 2008 by vcs

When we were in Istanbul my mother picked up this book on a whim. It was published in 2002 and entirely written, excepting the preface, before 9/11. The subtitle of the book is “Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response” and … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Developing world, Internet and Democracy, Middle East, Women's rights | Leave a comment

Choosing not to Choose – Turkish Headscarves and Governance in Somalia

Posted on March 7, 2008 by vcs

What happens when the results of democratic choice do not align with traditional democratic values, such as freedom and choice? A Feb 19 New York Times article discusses the proposed repeal of a ban on the wearing of headscarves at … Continue reading →

Posted in Developing world, Middle East | Leave a comment