As much as Tunisia’s initial, post-independence, political transition was influenced by the extent and nature of economic support from the West, the success of the country’s waning post-revolution «democratic transition» is significantly impacted by the same US and EU powers. A misnomer that diminishes the scope and complexity of international alliances and enmities that it encompasses, the Arab-Israeli conflict bears greatly upon Tunisia’s relations with Western democracies, the primary prospective investors and financial backers of political transition in Tunisia for the past half century.
Amami and Mlouka Case Dismissed – and Rule of Law Prevails over Police Force
Lawyers, academics, politicians, civil society, more than one-hundred fifty organizations, Tunisians and internationals were part of the movement to FreeAzyz Amami and Sabri Ben Mlouka: democratic transition demands that the misuse of judicial power inherent in police state be replaced by the precedence of an independent justice.
Weekly Political Review – The Ebb and Flow of Democratic Transition in Tunisia
With Article 15 on the table for debate, peaking intensity of conflicts in Medenine over the closure of Ras Jedid, and Jomâa’s glowing reflections about his visit to Washington, and widespread public cynism about the volatility and apparent inefficiency of politics and politicians, the past week in politics in Tunisia captures the give-and-take, all-but-constant process that is ‘democratic transition’.
We Are Happy From Tunisia – Celebrating Diversity and Solidarity In Spite of Political and Economic Insecurities
What each country, each city, each community has to offer in this movement is an independently-crafted testament to one’s existence in the contemporary world during a period in history marked by widespread political instability, economic crisis, and desperation for change.
Updates on the Situation in Egypt: What is Happening
Last Friday (18th november) there was a huge demonstration in Tahrir Square calling for ending the military rule, to end […]
Facebook, YouTube and Twitter are the new tools of protest in the Arab world
Khaled Said is not the first Egyptian whom police allegedly beat to death. But his death has sparked a virtual […]
Tunisian farmers say bank stole their land
Residents and farmers rally in front of the regional government house in Sidi Bouzid. A group of Tunisian farmers is […]
Iran : Omid Reza Misayafi Has Died in Prison
Our friend Hamid Tehrani has told us that Omid Reza Misayafi has died in prison in Iran. Omid was sentenced […]
Tunisia’s bloggers defy state censors
Foreign tourists know Tunisia for its sunny beaches, ancient ruins and one of the Arab world’s most liberal societies. But for Tunisians, life is a daily tiptoe through a minefield of political taboos enforced by a vast security apparatus and heavily censored media. Now the country’s drive to embrace the internet is giving Tunisians an unexected new outlet to challenge authority.
Online censorship protest turns into debate among Tunisian bloggers
Tunisians mounted a new online protest on December 25th, inviting bloggers to publish a blank post signifying censorship. Critics say […]
Tunisian trade union leader on trial for role in protests
4 December 2008. A trade union leader and 37 others face trial in Tunisia on Thursday, accused of fomenting unrest […]
Tunisie : Le procès très attendu des leaders du mouvement social du bassin minier s’ouvre le jeudi 4 décembre 2008 devant le tribunal de première instance de Gafsa.
Ce jeudi 4 novembre commence en Tunisie, au Tribunal de première instance de Gafsa le procès très attendu des leaders du plus important et du plus long mouvement […]
Knife crime: why Hamouda Bessaad will always haunt me
New figures reveal that more than 20,000 knife crimes were committed in the UK last year. Peter Evans was shocked […]