Book Description

Afghanistan and its neighbors to the west the developing countries in the Middle East face a common shortcoming: They are missing out on much of the Information Revolution. Although pockets of high access to communications lines exist in these countries, for the most part, they lag far behind developed countries in their access to and use of information and communication technologies (ICT) 1 This paper examines some recent literature to identify the fundamental issues affecting the use of ICT, and particularly the Internet, in developing countries in the Middle East. Much of this research is also pertinent to Afghanistan, which, as a developing Islamic country, shares many cultural traditions with its Middle Eastern neighbors. In performing our research, we focused on key questions that broadly affect the region shown in the map. What social and cultural factors contribute to the "digital divide" in the Middle East? Is bridging the digital divide important to the continued economic and social development of the Middle East? If it is important, what should, or can, be done to facilitate the use of ICT? What additional information is needed to formulate effective policies to promote the use of ICT in the Middle East?