Most dangerously, Middle Eastern fans of American music fuse it with their own cultures. Ruby, the biggest pop star in Egypt, sings with traditional Arabic intonations and belly dances, but clearly has taken a page or two from R&B divas. Her music is rooted in a disco-funk beat and in videos she wears tight, hip-riding jeans that were brought back into fashion by black and Latina women in the United States. Soon after her first video aired in 2003, Hamdi Hassan of the Muslim Brotherhood complained to Egypt's parliament that Ruby

The global ebusiness race is on and nobody wants to be a runner-up. That is the conclusion suggested by the huge correspondence generated by the [Economist Intelligence Unit] e-business readiness rankings, which grade 68 of the world's economies on their ability to facilitate digital-age commerce.

An independent non-governmental research institute and library located at The George Washington University, the Archive collects and publishes declassified documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. The Archive also serves as a repository of government records on a wide range of topics pertaining to the national security, foreign, intelligence, and economic policies of the United States.

Without a free press, few other human rights are attainable. A strong press freedom environment encourages the growth of a robust civil society, which leads to stable, sustainable democracies and healthy social, political, and economic development. CPJ works in more than 120 countries, many of which suffer under repressive regimes, debilitating civil war, or other problems that harm press freedom and democracy.

Juan Cole is a professor of Modern Middle East and South Asian History in the History Department at the University of Michigan. He maintains a popular weblog and has been involved in several public controversies for his support of Arab and Muslim causes, and his criticism of U.S. and Israeli government policies.

Jon Katz (born 1947) is a U.S. journalist and writer. He is mostly known for his contributions to the online magazine HotWired and the technology website Slashdot.