Tunisia: Wave of Protests Threaten Ben Ali Regime

The attempted suicide of a young man last week and deteriorating socioeconomic conditions have sparked unprecedented protests throughout Tunisia in recent days. Lachen Achy describes the economic situation, saying that the government has “failed to make policies guaranteeing enough job creation to absorb new entrants to the labor market” and that the country has “one of the highest levels of unemployment among Arab states: more than 14% overall and 30% among those between age 15 and 29.” Brian Whitaker compares the current unrest in Tunisia to that of Romania in 1989 and the subsequent fall of Nicolae Ceausescu, asking “Is the Tunisian dictator, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, about to meet a similar fate?” Whitaker points to the Ben Ali regime’s failure to “prevent people from organising, communicating and agitating,” the lack of fear shown by Tunisians during the recent protests, and the “breakdown” of the “devil’s compact,” whereby the people sacrifice freedom for economic security and stability, as reasons to believe that the current government’s days may be numbered.

Michael Collins Dunn at the MEI Editors blog provides links to several sources that are tracking the situation in Tunisia.