Cyberwars in the Middle East argues that offline political tensions in the Middle East that are sometimes sectarian and regional in nature play a vital role in enhancing the cyber operations and hacking attempts that frequently occur. These cyber operations are often used for espionage and/or undermining the authority and credibility of governments, changing their policies, or causing economic damage. Author Ahmed Al-Rawi explores different types of cyber operations and many hacktivists and hacking groups that are active in the region. He looks at how they are connected to globalization and how some are linked to or clash with global hacktivist groups.

AHMED AL-RAWI is an assistant professor of news, social media, and public communication at the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia. He is the director of the Disinformation Project that empirically examines fake news discourses in Canada on social media and news media. Al-Rawi previously worked as a communication officer for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Iraq. He is the author of several books including News 2.0: Journalists, Audiences and News on Social Media. 

Preface and Acknowledgments
Introduction
1 Toward a Theoretical Framework of Cyberwars
2 Cyberwars and International Politics
3 U.S. Cyberoperations in the Middle East
4 Russian Trolls, Islam, and the Middle East
5 Cyberwars and Regional Politics
6 Arab Hackers and Electronic Armies
Conclusion
Appendix: Selected List of Arab Hacking Groups
Notes
References