Financial Times (January 29, 2014)
After such great hope, the Arab Spring evaporated. Whether some countries ultimately took steps forward or backwards remains unclear. A few have obviously fallen into anarchy. “Still, amid all the gloom, there is one country – Tunisia – which suddenly appears within striking distance of successfully completing the journey from dictatorship to democracy.” With a new constitution clearing the path for free elections, Tunisia may be able to stand “as a beacon of what can be achieved if Islamists and secularists set aside their differences for the greater good.”After such great hope, the Arab Spring evaporated. Whether some countries ultimately took steps forward or backwards remains unclear. A few have obviously fallen into anarchy. “Still, amid all the gloom, there is one country – Tunisia – which suddenly appears within striking distance of successfully completing the journey from dictatorship to democracy.” With a new constitution clearing the path for free elections, Tunisia may be able to stand “as a beacon of what can be achieved if Islamists and secularists set aside their differences for the greater good.”
Tags: Anarchy, Arab spring, Constitution, Democracy, Dictatorship, Differences, Elections, Greater good, Hope, Islamists, Secularists, Tunisia
The Economist (January 27)
The “Jasmine revolution” is spreading from Tunisia to Egypt, where Hosni Mubarak has held power for 30 years. The Economist writes, “if Mr Mubarak truly put his country’s interests first, he would immediately promise to retire before the next presidential election, due in September.”
Tags: Egypt, Mubarak, Revolution, Tunisia
Wall Street Journal (January 15)
The revolt in Tunisia reminds the world that dictatorships often appear strong… “right up to the moment they fall.” Former dictator 74-year-old Zine el Abidine Ben Ali has now fled Tunisia, but “what Tunisians will get next is anybody’s guess.”
