The first general introduction to Mesopotamia that covers all four of the area's major ancient civilizations-Sumer, Akkad, Assyria, and Babylonia. The eyes of the world are on Iraq and the surrounding region, witnessing conflict, chaos, and the effects of brutal dictatorship. But in ancient times, the civilizations that flourished there gave birth to some of humanity's most cherished achievements, including the written word, the city, the legal system, public education, and more. Ancient Mesopotamia: New Perspectives ranges from the region's cultural beginnings to its Persian "liberation," from simple farmers to mighty kings, from the marshy Gulf shores ard Arabian desert sands to the foothills of the Taurus and Zagros mountains.

This book is the first to offer a global perspective on the unique contemporary media phenomenon of transnational television channels. It is also the first to compare their impact in different regions of the globe. Revealing great richness and diversity across seven key broadcasting regions, North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South and East Asia, the book examines the place of these channels in the process of globalization, their impact on the nation-state, and many more elements central to the study of international media and communications.