In 2011, Tunisians rose in protest gainst the government in what is called the Jasmin Revolution. The protests were provoked by years of corruption by the Ben Ali regime and revelations of the extent of regime graft and corruption that was revealed by diplomatiuc cables released through Wikileaks. When a street vendor was arrested and fined for failing to have a permit and assessed a US$7.00 fine, the man protested by setting himself on fire. His act was literally the spark that ignited a revolution. Within days, Ben Ali stepped down as Tunisia's dictator and fled to Saudi Arabia with his ill-gotten fortune.

Located on the North African coast, across the Mediterranean Sea from Italy, Tunisia is a popular European travel resort destination, attracting more than 6 million visitors annually. The country is one of the most liberal Arab states, especially regarding women’s rights. Tunisia has been a moderate, non-aligned country that supported the Middle East Peace Process and has contributed to UN peacekeeping missions in Cambodia, Namibia, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea and Kosovo. Tunisians are predominately Muslim (99%). Its military is professional and apolitical.

BACKGROUND

Carthage (Tunisia) became a major sea power, clashing with Rome for control of the Mediterranean until it was defeated and captured by the Romans in 146 B.C. In the 16th Century Tunisia became part of the Ottoman Empire.

Between 1881 and 1956 it was a French protectorate. Tunisia became an independent republic in 1957. Its first president was Habib Bourguiba, who led the independence movement. In 1987, he was succeeded by Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, who stayed in power until driven from office in January 2011. Foued M’Bazzaa became the Interim President. Presidential elections are due to take place within six months.

Located between Algeria and Libya, Tunisia has sought to maintain good relations with neighboring Algeria and Libya in a difficult region. Tunisia's relations with Libya have been erratic since Tunisia annulled a brief agreement to form a union in 1974. Diplomatic relations were broken in 1976, restored in 1977, and deteriorated again in 1980, when Libyan-trained rebels attempted to seize the town of Gafsa.

Militant Islamists launched a suicide bomb attack on an historic synagogue in the resort of Djerba in 2002, killing 21 people, which impacted on tourism. In late 2006, 12 Islamic militants were killed in shoot-outs with security forces near Tunis. Hundreds of suspects were reportedly arrested on suspicion of links with terrorist groups.

The government outlawed An-Nahdha as a terrorist organization in 1991 and arrested its leaders and thousands of party members and sympathizers, accusing them of plotting to overthrow the president. The party is no longer openly active in Tunisia, and its leaders operate from exile in London.

The Ben Ali government imposed restrictions on freedom of association and speech and does not allow a free press. Foreign media, including foreign-based satellite television channels, have criticized the Tunisian Government for the lack of press freedom. Tunisia ranked number 154 out of 173 countries in the 2009 Reporters Without Borders list of World Press Freedom rankings, down from 143 in the previous year. There are frequent reports of torture and abuse of prisoners, especially political prisoners. Although Tunisia has introduced some press freedoms and has freed a number of political prisoners, human rights groups say the authorities tolerate no dissent, harassing government critics and rights activists.

THE JASMINE REVOLUTION

Since 2008, Tunisia’s prosperity declined as a result of the global recession, leaving many young people unemployed at a time of escalating prices. In Decmber 2010, an  unemployed operator of a vegetable cart was arrested by police and his cart - his sole means of support - was confiscated by police. In protest he set himself on fire and died after two gruesome weeks of suffering. Other khobzistes (unemployed) recognized his plith as their own future and began demonstrating for reform.
The Wikileaks diclosures of secret diplomative cables congirmed what most Tunisians already knew, that the Ben Ali famility was stealing emorous wealth from the citizens and was flaunting its wealth through an extravagant lifestyle.

The U.S. Embassy cables were translated and disseminated through the Internat and social networking sites. The Ben Ali family members held key government jobs, owned media firms, airlines, assembly plants and distribution rights. One cable from 2008 described Ben Ali's "quasi-mafia" family, living in opulence and indulging in excessive consumption, while repressing citizens with authoritarian tactics.
The cable revealed that the first lady of Tunisia benefited personally from a 2007 real estate boom. She received a valuable piece of land and $1.5 million in assistance from the government for the construction of the Carthage International School, which she later sold to investors from Belgium for "a huge, but undisclosed sum," according to the secret cable.

In one, an American diplomat describes his visit to a house of the president's son-in-law, El Materi. "The house was recently renovated and includes an infinity pool and a terrace of perhaps 50 meters, there are ancient artifacts everywhere: Roman columns, frescoes and even a lion's head from which water pours into the pool. El Materi insisted the pieces are real," said the cable. El Materi also owned a pet tiger with the name "Pasha," which stands for a powerful authority.

The tiger was slaughtered during the recent upheaval, and the house was looted.

"The WikiLeaks revelations confirmed that people surrounding president Ben Ali were corrupt and spent a lot of money. They lived in mansions and had their food delivered to them directly from France. It was happening at a time when ordinary Tunisians were struggling to find jobs and feed their families. It's a bit of Marie Antoinette-like disconnect between the people and the top," said North Africa and Mideast expert Mary-Jane Deeb.

After President Ben Ali fled Tunisia, Libya’s dictator, Col. Moammar Qaddafi, blamed the chaos in Tunisia as a Western plot, saying that WikiLeaks was a product of "lying ambassadors in order to create chaos."

Radwan Masmoudi, president for the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy explained that, Tunisians "have the highest percent of Facebook users in the world per population, something like 2 million among 10 million people have their own Facebook account."

The Al-Jazeera news network is also popular in Libya, as it is throughout the Middle East; the combination of free excahnge of information by television, Internet and social networking proved to be a perfect storm – a storm that has spread across the region. Within weeks, Egypt and Libya would be swept into that storm of political upheaval. And these countries would not be the last.

If Tunisians are able to elect a responsive, modern government this Middle Eastern paradise has a bright future, not only as a tourist mecca, but as a model of peaceful democratic reform.

Capital: Tunis
Area: 163,610 sq km
Population: 10,319,000

La Presse
state-owned daily

Nouvelles de Tunisie
daily

Assabah
privately-owned daily

Le Quotidien
daily

Agence Tunis Afrique Presse
state-run, English-language pages

 

Lonely Planet Guide: Tunisia http://www.lonelyplanet.com/tunisia