The Arab uprisings in 2010—2011 have fostered new movements of immigrants from Middle Eastern countries to Europe and the US, leaving a region characterized by political instability, economic deterioration, civil war, and new authoritarianism. This introductory chapter presents the situation in the Middle East and the subsequent reconfiguration of Middle Eastern diasporas. Asking how these diasporas connect to, and interact with, their country of origin, the chapter outlines the concepts of political mobilization and diasporic media that together make the framework that guides all the contributions to this book.