Redefining the social contract in the wake of the arab spring. Tunisia marks seven years since arab spring uprising as. Tunisias case, in the minds of most westerners, is, in fact, a reminderby contrastof the wars, violence and devastation that have befallen many parts of the region after 2011. Shortly thereafter, the formerly banned islamist ennahda party. The first government overthrow resulting from the arab spring took place here in the capital of tunisia about five years ago. The analysis builds upon the results of major public opinion surveys conducted in the arab world, both immediately before and after the arab spring, in order to facilitate the identification of. It eventually led to a thorough democratisation of the country and to free and democratic elections. Civil nonmilitary production expands steel, cement, chemicals, luxury jeeps, butane gas cylinders, kitchen stoves, home. Why tunisia is the one lasting success of the arab spring. By 2011, 15% of tunisia was unemployed, and over 20% of people who had a college education were unemployed. Its economy has been stagnant since the outbreak of the arab spring in 2011, even if its political climate has been more placid than those of other arab spring nations. The latest brief from abu dhabi gallup center examines public perceptions leading up to the first regional uprising. The arab spring left tunisia in a deplorable economic situation.
In tunisia, act of one fruit vendor sparks wave of. Case studies of tunisia and egypt abdulsattar, tammam omer msc. Like all great social upheavals, the arab spring was long in the making, and. Inform students that they are going to learn about a recent struggle for freedom that took place during the arab spring in tunisia. How to think about the middle east before the arab spring. Among the five countries of the arab spring tunisia, libya, syria, yemen and egypt tunisia has reached the right political climate and a certain stability, he said.
Seven years after arab spring revolt, tunisias future remains uncertain. Pdf the middle east and north africa mena have long been laden with tensions and instabilities. It is widely accepted that the events of the arab spring began in december 19, 2010 when a tunisian named mohamed bouazizi set himself on fire. Talking to arab youth international peace institute. Tunisia celebrates fifth anniversary of the arab spring time. The tunisian revolution of 2011 marked the start of the arab spring. Tunisians are a mix of berber imazighen, phoenician, and arab not to mention the romans, turks, spanish and french have also contributed to the gene pool.
It began in response to oppressive regimes and a low standard of living, starting with protests in tunisia noueihed, 2011. But it lacked a leader who could tell the people how to achieve this. But the divisions and the structural problems in the country were largely produced by the old dictatorship, which could no longer deal with them by state coercion. In tunisia, an unusually cosmopolitan arab country with a high rate of college attendance, residents watched for 23 years as zine elabidine ben alis dictatorship became a grating daily insult. Tunisia, arab springs birthplace, takes on militants. The number of people who were jobless in tunisia was a primary cause of the revolution, as it was practically impossible to live for much of.
The event set off uprisings across north africa and the middle east known as the arab spring. Why tunisias arab spring is in turmoil informed comment. Tunisia is bordered by algeria to the west and southwest, libya to the southeast, and the mediterranean sea to the north and east. Against the backdrop of a rising gdp, tunisian life evaluation plummeted, setting the first sparks of the arab spring.
And their night will then begin to fade, and their chains break and fall. Tunisia, officially the republic of tunisia, is a country in the maghreb region of north africa, covering 163,610 square kilometres 63,170 square miles. Egypt, libya, syria, and yemen quickly emulated tunisias example, giving hope to the citizens of those countries that major political and economic transformations were underway. Tunisia in the wake of the arab spring zenit english. After the arab spring tunis has some very cool marketplaces, even with the aggressive sellers. Although the story is certainly apocryphal, carthage nonetheless grew into one of the. I am in tunisia now and know for a fact that the war zone is in one town on the east south borders with libya. Five years after the arab spring, tunisias government is a mess. Africa seven years after arab spring, tunisias future uncertain. European neighborhood policy enp and the arab spring. Of all the countries that took part in the arab spring, tunisia is the one that most deserves the appellation free. Aftermath of the arab spring in north africa atlantic council. The roots and causes of the 2011 arab uprisings kamal eldin osman salih abstract. Almarsa, tunisia beach at almarsa, on the gulf of tunis, northeastern tunisia.
Arab spring used their powers vehemently to crush the demonstrators and consequently the peaceful protesters also became violent. Tunisia is wracked by that new phenomenon, of open political struggle. The tunisian revolution, considered the catalyst for the movement that became known as the arab spring, began seven years ago. The arab spring began in tunisia when a street vendor, mohamed bouazizi, became so angry at being unable to make even a modest living that he set himself alight. Economic distress within the countries of syria, tunisia, egypt, and others had been an enormous factor when facing the uprising of the arab spring. Jessie deeter reports, as part of a collaboration with the pulitzer center on. Causes of the arab spring causes of the arab spring may be described as following. Politics, africa, egypt, libya, saudi arabia the arab spring. As usual, a lot of pundits are looking to use the instability in tunisia to indict the arab spring. Are tunisians arabs, africans, or north african arabs. According to greek legend, dido, a princess of tyre, was the first outsider to settle among the native tribes of what is now tunisia when she founded the city of carthage in the 9th century bce. The arab spring in tunisia forced ben ali from power, but the regime that was overthrown was actually the.
Despite being the country that launched the arab spring, tunisia is wellpositioned as a goto destination even as it precariously balances the lure of past traditions with the demand of pulsing social change. Tunisia has taken the most hopeful direction after its arab spring. Seven years after arab spring revolt, tunisias future. Today, it is a relative backwater, even in the mediterranean basin.
Once more there are questions about why tunisia, a small mediterranean nation so often lauded as the sole success of the arab spring, is generating an international wave of extremist violence. At the outset of the political uprisings that began in north africa in 2010, the four countries of algeria, libya, morocco, and tunisia faced similar. When the arab spring overthrew zine alabidine ben alis 23year dictatorship in january 2011, tunisia had elements of a healthy political culture that other arab countries lacked. Five years after the arab spring, tunisias government is. To gauge the class prior knowledge of the arab spring, ask for a show of hands as to how many students have heard the term arab spring on the news. Causes, consequences, and implications if, one day, a people desire to live, then fate will answer their call. Why is tunisia, success story of the arab spring, home to. The impact of the arab spring on the tunisian economy by samer matta, simon appleton and michael bleaney outline 1. The arab spring in tunisia and its aftermath au digital research. Post arab spring the trajectory of the sc has differed in the three countries. Estimating the economic impact of the arab spring 6. Tunisia s mass popular uprising, dubbed the jasmine revolution, sparked antigovernment movements in other countries across the region. Tunisia has been a model of successful democratic transition in the arab world since its revolution in 2011, despite socioeconomic difficulties, with other arab spring countries sinking into chaos, r.
Tunisia was once the roman worlds gateway to north africa. Categorizing this issue as economic distress is in terms, the simplest way to put a broad range of underlying issue that accompany an economic downfall. The ambitious projects of democracy promotion have been officially set on the back burner by both. Role of information communication technologies in the arab spring pdf. Eight years after it launched the arab spring, tunisia. Beginning about three years ago in tunisia, and spreading to a number of other arab countries thereafter, what has become known unfortunately as the arab spring took experts, locals and media observers of all stripes by surprise. The processess that took place in african countries can be considered as revolutions because a revolution is an overthrow of a political system like the tunisian revolution, which was trying to change the government and jobs, a revolution involves many people, have longterm consequences the tunisian revolution had consequences of changing their government and getting more rights for the. On monday, tunisians once again commemorate the anniversary of their 2011 revolution, which also inspired the broader arab spring uprisings around the middle east and north africa. The series of revolutions that marked the arab world toppled dictators and transformed the map of the region, inspiring hope for permanent change in the middle east.
The research considers tunisians life evaluation, the impact of gdp, vanishing prospects for employment, and satisfaction with basic needs and infrastructure. On monday, tunisians once again commemorate the anniversary of their 2011 revolution, which also inspired the broader arab spring uprisings around the. The arab spring raised high hopes of greater freedom and prosperity. A year ago, a tunisian fruitseller set himself on fire after being humiliated by a police officer. In tunisia, an elected assembly has produced the most liberal political groundrules in the arab world. The downfall of tunisias president zine alabidine ben ali inspired prodemocracy activists across the arab world. Even tunisias president beji caid essebsi has since tried to dispel that notion. Tunisia, birthplace of the arab spring, ousted president zine alabidine ben ali in january 2011. Zulkuf aydin sep 2015, 108 pages arab spring is a political concept that spread widely in the media and academic art publications. Tunisias constituent assembly approves countrys new government after first elections since january revolution. Postrevolution tunisia attempts painful transition to democracy the pbs newshour feb. Tunisia inspired ordinary people to take to the streets from morocco to.
Tunisia, shaken by days of nationwide unrest over price hikes, is marking seven years since the north african nation drove out its longtime autocratic ruler. The arab revolts in egypt, syria and libya have not turned out happily, which leaves tunisia as the last source of potential optimism in the region. The reason is that the arab world in the modern, postindependence era, had heretofore been generally quiescent politically in the face of authoritarian. So i guess you would have to say that tunisians are a bit north african, arab, and many ot. Spring, activists tend not to base their youth identity on specific age brackets. The common slogan of the protesters throughout arab spring was the people want to bring down the regime aissa, 2012. Thi s researc h articl e attempts to scrutinize the nature and cause s of the ara b uprising s which too k people by surpris e globall y throughou t 2011 and int o 2012. Major political developments in tunisia since the arab spring 3. Tunisia and the arab spring powerpoint, available in the carolina k12 database of k12 resources.
How tunisia is keeping arab spring ideals alive bbc news. There is no arab spring, just the beginning of a tunisian spring, he said. We use synthetic control methodology to estimate the output loss in tunisia as a result of the arab spring. The events that began in tunisia in january 2011 and spread to. The only country to emerge from the arab spring with anything close to a democracy, tunisia has become a beacon of hope for the arab world.
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