On Dec. 17 Tunisia erupted into chaos when its citizens took to the streets to protest the civil injustices that had gone on too long. Tunisia, a country that tends to be looked upon highly by other first-world nations, boasts of liberal social norms, broad gender equality and a relatively large middle class. The United States has given Tunisia much credit for their active prosecution of terrorism suspects.
Citizens of Tunisia, however, see the situation differently. Angered by unemployment, inflation of food prices, corruption, freedom of speech violations and general living conditions, Tunisians stood up to their oppression wholeheartedly.
While it may look as though the Tunisian government has been equally opportunistic since President Ben Ali has been in office, there has also been much global criticism amongst the media and Non-Governmental Organizations, particularly in relation to Ali’s persecution of Islamists and his economic agenda. Furthermore, it is speculated that the social inequalities and frustrations in Tunisia went generally unnoticed because of the U.S.-Tunisia alliance.
History Professor Gregory Shaya spent six weeks in Tunisia last summer, particularly in the nation’s capital of Tunis. Based on his experience, he was hardly surprised by the violent civil unrest that burst out in December. “Everywhere we went last summer we heard complaints about President Ben Ali, his wife, LeÔla Ben Ali and their family members,” he said. “We heard it from university professors and cab drivers. Tunisians know something about everyday corruption, but the greed of the president’s family was seen as a profound insult to the Tunisian people.”
Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter also played a large role in rallying the unhappy citizens of Tunisia. The demographic of the Tunisians were mostly middle class, made up of young doctors, lawyers and other professionals. The outpouring of the younger demographic is somewhat credited to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. The passion and commitment of these younger Tunisians gives observers around the world hope that a freer society within Tunisia is possible.
On Jan. 14 the Tunisian military ousted Ben Ali, who dissolved his government and declared a state of emergency. Under this state of emergency, people were not allowed to gather in groups of more than three people. A violation of this declaration would result in immediate arrest.
On the same day of his ousting and the simultaneous Tunisian state of emergency, Ben Ali fled from Tunisia and officially abandoned his position as President. His official resignation came via a Tunisian state TV announcement. Fouad Mebazza, who is a member of a highly nationalistic political group in Tunisian called Neoc Destour, will be taking over. The date of regular elections in Tunisia is still unknown, but it is widely accepted that there will be international regulation and support during that time.
Jeffrey Lantis, an international relations professor at The College of Wooster, sees this uprising as a positive thing in terms of fighting authoritarianism. He believes this could be a serious beginning to the importance of “people’s power” in the surrounding oppressed northern countries. However, the passion of the protesters has somewhat died out as opposing forces have weakened. While the entire country is demanding democratic presidential and parliamentary elections, the strategy to accomplish this has not been planned. If the strength of the people’s convictions within this uprising is not channeled into political negotiation soon, Tunisia will be susceptible to falling back into the structure of its old government.