New York Times, Friday, January 21, 2011
Tunisia
Holly Pickett for The New York Times
Tunisia is in some ways the most European country of North Africa. It boasts a relatively large middle
class, liberal social norms, broad gender equality and welcoming Mediterranean beaches. United States
officials have given it high marks for its aggressive prosecution of terrorism suspects.
But it also had one of the most repressive governments in a region full of police states, and levels of
corruption among its elite that became intolerable once the economic malaise that has gripped southern
Europe spread to the country, sending unemployment and public resentment skyrocketing.
In January 2011, a sudden and explosive wave of street protests ousted the authoritarian president, Zine
el-Abidine Ben Ali, who had ruled with an iron hand for 23 years. On January 14 Mr. Ben Ali left the
country, after trying unsuccessfully to placate the demonstrators with promises of elections.
Interim Government and Continued Protest
The prime minister, Mohamed Ghannouchi, initially said he would take up presidential power after the
president left, a plan he was forced to abandon the next day. He then created a government of unity,
bringing in members of the official opposition, to serve as an interim government until elections could
be held.
Mr. Ghannouchi declared on January 20th that 1,800 political prisoners had been released from jail,
and said that others with sentences of less than six months would also be freed.
Demonstrations continued, as protesters raged against the domination of the new cabinet by members
of Mr. Ben Ali's party, and some oppostion leaders quit the unity government. Leaders of the
opposition parties prepared a push to reshuffle the unity government. They portrayed themselves as
walking a tightrope, balancing the public’s demand for a purge of the old ruling party against their
fears of a government collapse that could invite a military takeover.
Some protesters called for the complete eradication of the old ruling party, while complaining that
outlawed parties like the once powerful Islamist groups or the Tunisian Communists — battle-scarred
stalwarts of the long dissident fight against Mr. Ben Ali’s 23-year-rule — were still barred from
participating. That movement’s potential reincarnation is perhaps the most significant variable in
Tunisia’s post-revolutionary future — yearned for by legions of working-class and rural Tunisians,
viewed with just as much apprehension by the cosmopolitan coastal elite.
Birth of a Movement
The Tunisian revolution began in December 2010, after a college- educated street vendor burned
himself to death in protest of his dismal prospects amid Tunisia’s poverty. A wave of violent
demonstrations spread, of the kind not seen since Mr. Ben Ali came to power 23 years ago in a
bloodless coup. Dozens died as security forces fired on protesters.
The protesters came together after circulating calls to rally over social networks like Facebook and
Twitter. Many were unemployed college graduates, and they angrily demanded more jobs and
denounced what they called the self-enrichment of Tunisia’s ruling family.
The crowd in Tunis was notably middle-class, including young doctors and lawyers and other
professionals. Some identified themselves as the “Bourguiba generation” — young people who
benefited from free higher education and other social welfare policies instituted under Tunisia’s first
post-independence president, Habib Bourguiba.
Some critics stressed that because of Tunisia’s broad middle class, relatively secular culture and large
number of educated young people with high expectations of their government, the Tunisian uprising
was fundamentally different from the kinds of unrest found in neighboring countries, where popular
discontent is often expressed in the language of Islam.
Rulers’ Lavish Lifestyles Fueled Anger
Protesters seemed to direct much of their anger at the great wealth and lavish life of President Ben
Ali’s second wife, Leila Trabelsi, a former hairdresser, and their extended family, most notably their
son-in-law, the billionaire businessman Mohamed Sakher El Materi.
A gracious dinner at Mr. Materi’s home was detailed in a cable from the American ambassador to
Tunisia that was released by the anti-secrecy organization WikiLeaks and fueled at least some of the
outrage: a beachfront compound decorated with Roman artifacts; ice cream and frozen yogurt flown
from St. Tropez, France; a Bangladeshi butler and South African nanny; and a pet tiger in a cage.
State television reported the arrests for “crimes against Tunisia” of 33 members of Mr. Ben Ali’s
family. The government also said its prosecutors had opened an investigation into the family’s overseas
assets, while the Swiss government moved to freeze their assets in Swiss banks.
Images: The Guardian, UK
Images: BBC