tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22261571.post3751457052266391353..comments2024-03-20T01:06:12.181-04:00Comments on MEI Editor's Blog: And They're Off: Tunisia's Presidential Campaign Begins: Some Personal ThoughtsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22261571.post-22918832449769467342009-10-21T09:02:41.245-04:002009-10-21T09:02:41.245-04:00Michael Collins Dunn is much too kind to Tunisia. ...Michael Collins Dunn is much too kind to Tunisia. It is a pretty country, and Tunis is a relatively affluent city, but it is quite likely that the economic achievements of the regime are grossly overstated. One might note a decent educational system (the product of the Bourguiba, not Ben Ali, regime) but aside from that this small country has an arbitrary economic system that is extremely corrupt. Just look into the Trabelsi family's meddling (Ben Ali's wife family). Or look at the strikes in Sfax and elsewhere against exploitative state -owned companies or regime-owned mining concessions. Having traveled a fair amount in the Arab world, I have no hesitation in saying that I find the Tunisian regime (essentially a classic police state, run by and for cops) more creepy than Syria's, or certainly Egypt. People are clearly terrified, secret police is omnipresent, and there has been a systematic dismantling or recuperation of civil society. Hopefully post-Ben Ali some real reforms will be possible and there will still be courageous Tunisian patriots able to carry them through. More likely, though, it will deepen its slide into, essentially, a mafia country.arabisthttp://arabist.net/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22261571.post-30651991087814039982009-10-15T10:25:34.118-04:002009-10-15T10:25:34.118-04:00One of the unexplained phenomena of foreign relati...One of the unexplained phenomena of foreign relations - how the same behaviour is acceptable from one's allies but abhorrent from one's opponents.JRnoreply@blogger.com