For all those interested in current events – and who isn't? – Yale University Press is offering a free download of chapters from some of its books on the region. It covers Algeria, Egypt and Yemen.

The featured books are:
Egypt on the
Brink: From Nasser to Mubarak Tarek Osman looks at the situation of
his fellow young Egyptians – tech-savvy and full of passion, but deeply
frustrated by the corrupt, economically stagnant Egyptian state.

Algeria: Anger of the
Dispossessed Martin Evans and John Phillips ask how long Algerians
will put up with their repressive military regime, whose only opposition
consists of intermittent al-Qaeda attacks.

Yemen: Dancing on the
Heads of Snakes Victoria Clark analyses the prospects for a country
with 40% unemployment, near-exhausted water supplies, and a long-running
rebellion in the southern provinces.