Aprés le feu vert de l’administration sortante de Barack Obama pour établir une base secrète au Moyen-Orient, le Commandement des Opérations Spéciales de l’Armée américaine (JSOC) renforce sa mission antiterroriste à l’étranger. Le vendredi 25 novembre, le Washington Post annonce l’initiative du gouvernement américain qui vise à « élargir les pouvoirs de l’unité élite militaire pour chasser les combattants étrangers au niveau mondial ».
In contrast with the triumphant discourse of officials and mainstream news outlets in Tunisia, a more foreboding tone has been adopted by foreign media.
Given mainstream Western media’s portfolio of news reports on Tunisia since 2011 and also in light of the country’s constitutional guarantee for a pluralistic and fair media, it is regrettable as seems to be the case in the days and weeks that have followed the attack that foreign press should be granted more access to events of public interest in the capital than many local, independent media outlets.
In Tunisia’s case, there will likely be for many years to come the relentless push, from both without and within, for foreign governments and institutions to supply aid, support, assistance, and know-how to the end/under the pretext of promoting economic growth, social justice, and State accountability. In this context, will Tunisia allow outside interests and impositions to define its foreign relations and, by extension, its own autonomy? or will it remain vigilant, deliberate, and selective in decisions concerning relations with its geographical neighbors, economic ‘partners,’ and strategic ‘friends’?
Parliamentary elections, presidential elections, the forming of a new government – Tunisia’s young democracy has covered many milestones within the last months. What picture of Tunisia has been conveyed in German media during this important period in history? The following is an overview of how German journalists portray the political situation in Tunisia at the moment and which aspects catch their interest.
Integral to Tunisia’s internal security operations is its cooperation with foreign governments. Partnerships with Italy, France, and the United States address national security as well as regional security issues including immigration, trafficking, and terrorism. The operations of G8 Leader countries in the MENA region are (unofficially but observably) distinctive and complementary: Italy oversees migration in the Mediterranean; France via the Ministry of the Interior focuses on national security and the police, and the United States Department of Defense is engaged in a «war on terrorism.»
Polemical public figures who provoke protests upon their arrival or an outpouring of public response to their ideologies and work are as telling of the values and issues precious to Tunisian public opinion as they are of the controversial figures themselves.
On peut considérer que certains préjugés sont, parfois, inévitables et nécessaires dans des discussions liées à l’actualité. Ils doivent, cependant, être propices au dialogue et à la réflexion, lorsque les sources sont fiables, et ne reflètent pas une intention de désinformation ou une lecture bornée de l’auteur, et totalement biaisé, telle que celle élaborée par la CNN, et repris sans sourciller par la plupart des médias. Ce qui pose, inévitablement, la complexe et sempiternelle question des origines des sources médiatiques.
Even if it is for the lack of up-to-date and relevant data produced and diffused by Tunisian government institutions, that Tunisian media draws from foreign mainstream reports without questioning the validity of the data, analysis, or sources used–reporting through the grapevine, as it were–is a practice that diminishes rather than enhances the quality of dialogue on current issues. Noteworthy, for example, is the number of news agencies that have referenced the recent CNN International study and imprecisely or incorrectly attributed it to the Washington-based non-profit Pew Research Center.
From all appearances, nothing short of the cornerstone for a regional Middle East civil war was laid on Imrali, a Turkish island in the southern region of the Sea of Marmara. Those who do not understand how to read history always fall behind. And those who are not acquainted with Abdullah Ocalan, the Kurdish leader and the message he sent out to his people on March 21, are not in a position to comprehend the depth and the enormity of the threat directed toward the Arab world and Middle East in general that this communication represents.
As one of 166 observers from the Arab League in Syria, we interviewed Ahmed Manaï, former UN international expert, militant for a democratic Tunisia and author of “Tunisian torture – The Secret Garden General Ben Ali.”
Late last year, Congress agreed to a request from President Bush to fund a major escalation of covert operations against […]
