The Egyptian government has demanded that Apple disable the phone’s global-positioning system, arguing that GPS is a military prerogative.

A slowdown in the Persian Gulf might feel like a crash landing in places like Egypt, Jordan and Syria, where gulf money has helped prop up strained economies.

Some countries in the region import 90 percent or more of their staples. The worldwide food crisis is making many countries in the region rethink that math.

In Egypt, where half the population is under 25, there is a thirst for new technology and a chance to escape the backward conditions its young people have been born into.