Tunisia – One Year Later

Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution only exploded after of years of pain and suffering. Their years-long struggle is usually romanticized by attributing the suicide of one young man as the spark that lit a new flame of bravery and courage. The struggle for Tunisians and their neighbours is far from over, and this week, thousands in Tunisia protested against the political rise of conservative Islam. Immolations have reportedly increased across the Arab world; though we don’t know if it only seems that way now because, prior to Mohammed Bouazizi, hardly anyone was looking. A year of the Arab Spring has seen hundreds of thousands more seeking a new life away from harsh economic and social conditions receive an increasingly hostile, unwelcoming reception in Europe or farther afield. Here is a summary of posts about Tunisia: one year later.

Tunisia: A Revolutionary Model?

A year after the Jasmine Revolution, can the country’s new government fix the vast social injustices that triggered it?

One year ago, Tunisia overthrew decades of oppression and dictatorship. Its revolution rocked the Middle East and inspired the ‘Arab Spring’.Now, Tunisia has adopted an interim constitution, held free and fair elections, and is becoming a modern democratic state. But does the recent electoral success of the Islamists herald a return to narrow, sectarian rule or consensual leadership?Will the interim president, Moncef Marzouki, be able to bridge the divide between secular, democratic principles and more extreme views?And perhaps the biggest question of all is can the new government fix the ailing economy and vast social injustices that triggered the Tunisian revolution in the first place?

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by Al Jazeera English 28 Jan, 2012 posted with vodpod

Tunisian media: One year after the revolution

By Fahem Boukadous for CPJ 23 Jan, 2012

The doses of freedom that the Tunisian revolution injected into national media have not been sufficient to revive it after decades of systematic destruction. It is not surprising that our evaluation of media one year after the tyrant fell reveals more negativity and pessimism.

Public media remains unchanged. The ministry of the interior and the Carthage Palace are no longer the source of instructions, leaving this role to [Prime Minister’s spokesman] Moez Sinaoui, who firmly prevented media and political figures from appearing on TV for being radical critics of the interim authorities. He banned discussion of heated topics such as post-revolution torture cases, the involvement of public figures in corruption, and criticism of the government of Beji Caid El-Sebsi. Nonetheless, some journalists attempted to address these topics, and as a result they have been marginalized and intimidated by the administration, which has preserved all characteristics of the former regime.