Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali
All topics-
Eight years after the Jasmine Revolution
Young Tunisians see red
Inspired by Franceʹs "gilets jaunes", the Tunisian "red vest" movement reflects the widespread discontent in the North African country, where protests against spiralling living costs, unemployment, mismanagement and corruption are once again on the increase. By Alessandra Bajec
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Authoritarian reinstatement in the Arab world
Whatʹs left of the Arab Spring
Not much remains of the euphoric mood and the hopes that drove the Arab Spring. A return to pre-2011 conditions is however out of the question. Commentary by Loay Mudhoon
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Essebsi breaks with Ennahda
Farewell to Tunisia's "national consensus"
The decision by Caid Essebsi to end five years of consensus politics is likely to heighten sociopolitical tensions in the North African state and deepen a burgeoning economic crisis. Tunisian journalist Ismail Dbara analyses the reasons for the break-up and the consequences for democratisation within the country
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Emancipation and music
Black Tunisiansʹ bitter heritage
In the south-eastern Tunisian region of Medenine, music represented a socially marginalised way for post-emancipation blacks to advance. These days thatʹs not enough to satisfy the younger generation. By Marta Scaglioni
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Tyranny in the Islamic world
Keeping the tribe alive
In this essay, Libyan author Faraj Alasha explains how Arab autocrats use tribal logic to run institutions of state, turning political parties into family clubs and loyalty to the country into loyalty to the head of the ruling clan
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Tunisia and the EU
Bolster the young democracy!
Many Tunisians are disillusioned with the EU. Convinced that fairer trading relations with their northern neighbours is the key to reinvigorating Tunisia′s flagging economy, they are critical of Europe′s failure to engage. By Isabel Schafer
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Non-fiction: Safwan M. Masri′s ″Tunisia – An Arab anomaly″
A history of intellectual excellence
Tunisia stands out as the only democracy among Arab countries. Why it has managed the transformation from autocratic rule after the Arab Spring has deep roots that go back centuries, argues Safwan M. Masri. Hans Dembowski read the book
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Protests rock Tunisia
A winter of discontent
Despite general frustration over economic hardships and the unfulfilled promises of the Arab Spring’s only success story, the revolutionary momentum that gripped Tunisia in 2011 has not waned seven years later. Tunisians seem intent on preserving the spirit of the revolution: bread, freedom and national dignity. By Houda Mzioudet
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Arab nationalism and political Islam
Secularism – ″the other option″?
In his essay, Syrian publicist and writer Hammud Hammud debunks conventional Islamist prejudices regarding the concept of secularism and examines the ambivalence of political Islam and Arab nationalism
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From El Kamour to Carthage: #We will Not Recoil#
Rebels with a cause
Regarded since the Arab Spring as the one country that successfully transitioned from dictatorship to democracy, Tunisia is now feeling the consequences of a failure to invest in its people and its economy. The fact that the system is still riddled with corruption simply adds more grist to the people′s mill. By Houda Mzioudet
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Hamza Meddeb on the "No Future" generation
Tunisia's ticking time bomb
Political scientist Hamza Meddeb is critical of the Tunisian authorities, which prefer to focus exclusively on security aspects in the war against terror, rather than launching efforts to genuinely address the causes of youth radicalisation. Interview by Sarah Mersch
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Interview with Sihem Bensedrine
"We mustn't forget what happened!"
Tens of thousands of people who suffered at the hands of Ben Ali's dictatorship have made submissions for compensation to the Tunisian Truth and Dignity Commission. The first public hearings were held in mid November. Sarah Mersch spoke to Sihem Bensedrine, president of the commission