For those interested, here is a link to an article I wrote about the Arab blogging explosion that was just published in G21 World magazine. Here is an excerpt:

From commenting on the latest political events to challenging taboos and crossing red lines, citizen journalists, or bloggers, across the Arab world are busy trying to make themselves heard. Analysts agree that Arab bloggers have made sure to get a big share of the blogging pie in a time when citizen journalists across the globe are scrutinizing the mainstream media with their subjective take on the political and social arenas.

"Today there is an active Arab blogosphere, raising its voice loudly. It has benefited from the freedom of expression made available electronically, and made known its opinion on the most important political issues," wrote Lebanese columnist Jihad Al-Khazen in his January column in the pan-Arab newspaper Al-Hayat.

Media analyst and associate professor of Political Science at Williams College, Marc Lynch concurs. "[It is] definitely an explosion though an uneven one," said Lynch, proprietor of the popular blog Abu Aardvark. "I’ve been amazed at how quickly both Arabic and English language blogging has developed. I’ve been particularly intrigued by the various portals and aggregators that have been developed," pointed out Lynch, adding that he currently reads more Arab blogs than American ones. "[This] wouldn’t have been possible not too long ago." [more]