"A Night is a Tunisia" is a song I'm pretty sure I've heard, but I don't have the ability to look it up right now.
A Night In Tunisia is a classic jazz tune, by Dizzy Gillespie.
i've never heard "A Night is a Tunisia".
1: Fixed! Thanks.
2: Typo! I knew it as "in" and suck at typing, apparently.
Wait. 3.2 doesn't explain the errant "a". I got nothing.
In particular, what's awesome is that this is a secular, democratic uprising provoked by a lousy economy and a corrupt dictatorship.
So, is it sustainable? Who's most likely to take over the government? Should we be concerned that this provides an opening for Islamists?
What are your trusted news and opinion sources? Other than Al Jazeera, my sources are a lurker (hi!) and her Tunisian contacts.
Also, while I appreciate the post, Stanster, you've put "One Night in Bangkok" in my head. DO NOT LIKE.
I listened to an area specialist about Tunisia on the radio on the way into work, but it all seemed way too complicated.
Related: I wonder if academics who specialize in small, obsucre countries sit around and pray for revolutions in their pet countries so as to obtain their 15 minutes of fame. I liked it when the crisis in Yemen brought the Yemen experts out of the woodwork, and when there was some political crisis in Kyrgyzistan the radio trotted out some expert who you know had been slaving away in some closet in the basement until BAM! suddenly political crisis=time to shine.
Angry Arab News Service has had a lot of opinionated updates on Tunisia. Some of them are much too insidery for me to follow, but they give an interesting perspective.
Not much equals Tanzania besides tautalogically.
Also, tautalogically ≠ tautologically.
By "benevolent dictator" they mean "pro-U.S," obviously.
These may be a little old, stuff happening fast. But the kind of stuff I read.
Tunisia could light a touch paper that spreads like revolutionary wildfire across the Arab world and beyond. Jordan, Algeria, Morocco, and Egypt can already feel the flames licking at their feet. Even Saudi Arabia has experienced a rare protest! The overall balance of forces are beginning to shift across the region. With sustained struggle and determined action, the dictatorial obscenities of the Middle East could be entering their final days. Let despots everywhere tremble as the revolutionary gale howls about their ears.
Let despots everywhere tremble!
(GB dudes may be overexcited)
Things may be changing in the Arab world but over here on unfogged there are still some certainties in life.
Let's see, you've linked to the Angry Arab already
Here's Richard Estes with links
Richard Seymour aka "Lenin" has about ten posts, with beaucoups comments. You can hit "home" when your there, and scroll.
OT, but one of Seymour's things that might interest somebody (God, that sounds like Far/ber) White Supremacy Anti-Communism and Southern Capital Accumulation Jan 19 Lenin says class = race. I disagree.
Let despots everywhere tremble!
Sic Semper Tyrannis!
Oh, and what the hell did Baby Doc think was going to happen? Flowers and Candy? Was he advised by Dick Cheney or something?
Le Monde (center-right) and Liberation (left) are both OK for North Africa. They're in French. Apparently the main labor union is now the kingmaker, vetoing the participation of various possible ministers in a caretaker government. The main islamist party's leader lives in exile, is being modest in print. His family name Ghannouchi is confusingly identical to that of an interim prime minister's. Tunisians apparently dislike the idea of Libyan influence. The only photos of smoking barricades or other unrest are from small places. Spiegel has an English edition, may have reporting not available in the US papers.
If a person who lives in Tunis is a Tunisan, and a person who lives in Tunisia is also a Tunisian, how can I distinguish the non-Tunis Tunisians?
13: By "benevolent dictator" they mean "pro-U.S," obviously.
Well, but also apparently "not too monstrous". I.e. general level of repression not as bad as some other places, freer movement, etc.
@20: you can't because they are all Tunisians, and none of them is from Tunis.
(and 17 to 22)
We'll have to put stars on some of their bellies.
Tunisians paint their windows and doorways a beautiful turquoise blue. No, don't thank me, I offer this nuanced and sophisticated analysis merely from having seen photographs; I have never had to undergo a cruise or resort vacation in Tunisia myself.
I haven't followed up on any of this, but zunguzungu has a post with links.
Another fact: Tunisia ≠ Tanzania
Let's not rush to judgment. The situation is still uncertain at best.
26: kind of depends whether you look at it from the Tunisian or from the Tanzanian angle. At worst it is certain.
re: 2
And there's always this classic version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU2pITrtwMs
Album version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHKyVJ5YfNU
Art Blakey being bad-ass.
5 - From everything I've read, the Tunisian uprising probably doesn't provide much opportunity for Islamists, because Islamist parties, notably An-Nahada and its predecessors -- were repressed after their strong showings in a 1989 election (as opposed to Egypt, e.g., where the Muslim Brotherhood is basically the main opposition party). Additionally, for historical reasons, An-Nahada is a less hardline Islamicist group (it has had a longtime commitment to social advocacy including work with secular organizations on the Tunisian left). My copy of Radical Islam -- who knew how useful this book would be when I bought it in 1995? -- also cites some maneuvering around disavowal of the goal of an Islamic state after the Iranian Revolution.
Another important angle on this is that episode of Happy Days where Richie paints himself into a corner while pretending to be foreign to impress some girls, and ends up telling them that he, Potsie and Ralph are `Tunisian camel jockeys'. Hilarity ensues.
20: What's even more confusing is, when two of them are described together, that's actually Fournisians.
Technically, their torsos are not part of the Fourkneesians.
With all this cedar, I've got Tusneezian.
I know nothing about Tunisia, but I was thoroughly disheartened this morning when -- after having read a series of Christian Science Monitor articles on Rwanda-like undertones in Kenya -- my Kenyan colleague refused to validate my hopeful "clueless white reporter gets the story wrong" hypothesis. He says it's accurate.
[Insert expletive of choice.] It will be really horrible if Kenya sees that kind of violence. I don't follow the International Criminal Court enough to know when the events there are likely to trigger things.
Right. So. Tunisia. They filmed The English Patient there. I've met some really nice Tunisians. I think that about encompasses my contributions.
I've seen neocons attribute the Tunisia revolt to the democratic domino chain reaction somehow triggered by the invasion of Iraq.
Also, of course the Islamists will gain influence. Once you go democratic any fool with an easy, simple theory that neatly explains how all your problems are the fault of some outsider or other gains traction, and the ones who offer seductive myths about a lost golden age which can be regained by a return to moral purity will be among them. The real question is how much power the Islamists will gain. I don't know enough about Tunisia to say one way or the other, but there's no way that replacing active suppression with relative openness can diminish their influence. Every society has people willing to fall for the fundamentalist line.
It'll be interesting to see where this goes, but I'm withholding judgment until everything stabilizes (which definitely has not happened yet).
Teo is most comfortable commenting after everything stabilizes for long enough that it is under 5 feet of dirt.
I'm not totally comfortable even then. I'd rather hold out for ten feet.
Does it get contaminated with surface stuff at five feet?
I've seen neocons attribute the Tunisia revolt to the democratic domino chain reaction somehow triggered by the invasion of Iraq.
FFS.
Not much equals Tanzania besides tautalogically
(Tanganyika + Zanzibar) does.
Juan Cole has been quite good from a centre-left perspective.
I'm not that uncomfortable with the phenomenon of authoritarian kleptocracies ceding influence to political Islam. Say what you will about the tenets of Salafism, at least it's an ethos.
at least it's an ethos
So is Juche. It seems to me that if you're forced to choose between two evils in terms of the government, you should in general go with the one which allows, by accident or design, the most corners into which the light of the state doesn't shine. Salafism is a very totalitarian ethos, in the sense that it claims control over every aspect of existence. Authoritarian kleptocracies, if they're no more than that, generally leave you alone unless you've got something they want. Obviously public services are expensive in terms of bribes, but you could say the same thing about Italy.
Paging Jean Kirkpatrick. Please pick up the white courtesy phone.
I think Kirkpatrick's position was that you should choose between unpleasant regimes on the basis of which was more compliant to the United States, whereas I'm suggesting that you should prefer the one that's more survivable by its immediate victims (while seeking to destroy both).
The most important institution so far has been the UGTT, the trade union confederation. What's happening at the moment is that the people from the old ruling party (the RCD) have been trying to make sure they're setting the terms of the transition, as they say, to democracy*. They're presumably hoping to arrange things so their party still has a role in politics and a chance in the elections, and to look after their own interests.
The people have been out protesting to get rid of the party, and yesterday the RCD ministers resigned from the RCD, after the UGTT ministers quit the government the day before in protest at their role. The army fired in the air yesterday to stop the crowds from storming the RCD national headquarters, but not before they swarmed all over the front of the building and tore down the RCD symbols - interpret this as the military offering very minimal support to the RCD.
The chief of general staff was sacked on Friday afternoon when he refused to fire on the protests, and the revolution went off when the other generals the president tried to give the job to turned him down and insisted on the first guy back. As a result, the prez did a runner (some say with $54 million in gold bullion out of the central bank).
The leader of the secular left-opposition party has returned from exile in France, to a huge demo at the airport, and the chief Islamist will be back soon. The leader of the Communist party was released on the afternoon of the revolution already.
I think Kirkpatrick's position was that you should choose between unpleasant regimes on the basis of which was more compliant to the United States
Functionally, yes. But the theory was closer to 44. And closer still to "whichever side is more hostile to Soviet Communism, irrespective of their susceptibility to U.S. influence".
40: They'll take credit for anything even vaguely positive, and view anything even slightly negative as a reason for further US military action. It's an extremely simple algorithm. I'd find them amusing if they didn't have access to the levers of power. Why anyone takes them seriously is beyond me. Apart from the fact that they are able to convince otherwise reasonable people to endorse vicious violence, that is. I'm a bit burned out on hating them at this point.
OT: I can't help but be amused by the sociopathic antics of 'Lightning' Lee Murry.
Delurking: 29 is correct, from what I've learned from my ex and his friends. The secular left was crushed as much as the religious extremists in the late 80s, and the leftist brain trust either left the country or was imprisoned. In public life, there just never really was the religious overtones one sees in other Muslim countries, even pre-80s. Also, the UGTT was entirely in the pocket of the govt last I was there, but they have a strong working press, which might give them a leg up on messaging moving forward. That they came out against the regime is an exciting turn. I've been saddened over the past week as western news outlets refer to the protesters as the opposition or rioters, and focus on fear of Islamists, (and suggest giving credit to Bush policies!!!) but I think I'm a little oversensitive. Everyone I've been in contact there is elated over the possibility for the future, if anxious about the chaos.