The Tunisian protests that sparked similar uprisings in Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, and elsewhere in the Arab world have been called the “Arab Spring.” Protestors effectively used technology (in particular, cell phones and the Inter­net) in organizing oppositionand in disseminating information and knowledge within and beyond the immediate context. These social movements were aimed at the respective rulers in each society and mobilized individuals from all walks of life; to many observers, the role of youth in the Arab Spring was noteworthy. Mahmood Monshipouri’s Democratic Uprisings in the Middle East is an ambitious attempt to bring all of these together and furthermore to discuss the Arab Springfor its implications for American foreign policy.

This book successfully incorporates and gives an informed analysis of many of the existing commentaries, scholarly works about the Middle Eastern up­risings of 2010/11. Democratic Uprisings in the Middle East, however, will not meet the expectations of any readers who are looking for a historical analysis of social mobilization in the Middle East; for Monshipouri’s book remains con­fined to the Arab Spring and does not explore earlier work on social mobiliza&s