Book review: Dissent and revolution in a digital age: social media, blogging and activism in Egypt

"Dissent and Revolution in a Digital Age: Social Media, Blogging and Activism in Egypt." David Faris. IB Tauris. March 2013. --- Dissent and Revolution in a Digital Age is essential reading for those interested in online activism, inasmuch as it provides a case study for Egypt as well as potentially for the rest of the world, writes Samaya Borom. This book tracks the rocky path taken by Egyptian bloggers operating in Mubarak s authoritarian regime to illustrate how the state monopoly on information was eroded, making space for dissent and digital activism

Book review: Afghanistan from the cold war through the war on terror by Barnett R. Rubin

Barnett R. Rubin’s Afghanistan From the Cold War through the War on Terror is an essential read for those interested not only in the socio-economic and political history of Afghanistan but also for those interested in the role that foreign powers can have on a state, writes Samaya Borom. Essays cover human rights, security, the narcotics trade, and post-conflict statebuilding