Tunisia is a small country – but right now it is anything but insignificant. The way in which its government is being rocked by street protests is being watched right across the Middle East. (The street protests in Tunis are on the front pages of the papers here in Abu Dhabi.) That is because events in Tunisia could serve as a model – for better or worse – for other larger Arab nations, with similar political dilemmas.
President Ben-Ali of Tunisia, who has now magnanimously agreed not to run for re-election in 2014, is seventy-four years old and has been in power for more than twenty years. He runs an autocratic, pro-western government, with a young population angered by high unemployment, corruption and police brutality. Rising food prices are also contributing to unrest.
It is all strangely reminiscent of Egypt, where President Hosni Mubarak is now 82-years-old – and has not yet announced whether he will run for re-election later this year. Will his attitude be affected by developments in Tunisia?
No comments:
Post a Comment