DOHA --- My conversation with two North African friends ranged widely, from the role of satellite television in the Arab world to the prospects for electoral reform in the region. Then we came to how other nations would deal with the new dynamics of Arab politics. One of my friends said, “In the past, diplomacy has been with the leaders, but now it must be with the people.”

Growing aspirations of youth in MENA regarding economic opportunities and political rights very quickly raised the bar for what governments need to do. To shed light on the implications of these changes and opportunities in the region and its inclusion in a global economy, the World Bank will host a discussion titled Arab Voices and Views...

The US military is developing software that will let it secretly manipulate social media sites by using fake online personas to influence internet conversations and spread pro-American propaganda.

In past sessions of the Al Jazeera Forum, held each year in the network's Qatar hometown, reform in the Arab world was discussed with an air of resignation: "Someday...maybe."

Diaries were cleared in Downing Street and the Foreign Office recently for meetings with two Americans who tweet for their country. You might not have heard of them, but through Twitter the Arab protesters monitor their every tweet.

With Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao leading the bureaucratic pack in using Twitter to reach out to the public, social media websites have now been removed from the list of blocked sites for officials at India's foreign ministry.

Understanding the role social media played in the recent uprisings in the Middle East is explored in this NATO Review video titled, "Political change: what social media can - and can't do."

DOHA --- In past sessions of the Al Jazeera Forum, held each year in the network’s Qatar hometown, reform in the Arab world was discussed with an air of resignation: “Someday…maybe.”