• Bourguiba, Habib: As my freshman history teacher would have called him, "The George Washington of Tunisian Independence." Except with a nasty streak, and not exactly removing himself from politics after eight years. Beginning in 1933, Bourguiba was a prominent advocate for independence from France. On March 20, 1956, Tunisia was granted independence and Bourguiba became its first president. He served until overthrown by Ben Ali in 1987.
• The Change: Ben Ali's usurpation of power is euphemistically known as "The Nov. 7 Change," or simply, "The Change." Under Bourguiba, Tunisia's economy languished and mismanagement and corruption were fairly rife. Ben Ali promised greater transparency, and gradual steps toward a market economy and multiparty democracy. Tunisia does have a number of political parties, but there is no real challenge to the ruling RCD.
• The General: Hamada Ben-Amor, a 22-year-old rapper. Here's a link to the video that got him jacked up.
• The Hairdresser: Refers to Leila Trabelsi Ben Ali, wife of Zine el Abidine Ben Ali. Mrs. Ben Ali is widely seen as the locus of government corruption in Tunisia. Her 10 siblings, their kids, and Ben Ali's kids - married into some of the nation's wealthiest families - are seen as a bunch of Tony Montana wannabes (see Wikileaks cables here, here, and for really fantastic detail, "Dinner with Sakher el Materi").
• Police: Tunisia does not have 'police' as commonly understood in the United States. Rather, they have what is called the 'National Guard.' The guard units, found in virtually every town, wear olive drab uniforms that Western eyes would interpret as military, rather than police, and are generally armed with pistols. Some guard units, such as those guarding synagogues and government buildings, were seen to be consistently armed with 1980s-era Steyr-AUG assault rifles. This blog will use 'police' to refer to local forces. Any action by the active-duty Tunisian Armed Forces will be referred to as such.
• RCD: The Constitutional Democratic Rally Party. This is Tunisia's only 'real' political party, and most elections are believed to be rigged in its favor. It is the successor to the Neo-Destour Party, which was the independence party dating back to French rule in the early 20th Century. RCD offices can be found in most towns and cities of consequence throughout the nation, marked by their multiple, and large (even by local standards) pictures of Ben Ali, and lots of fluttering Tunisian flags.
• Tunisiana: Only private mobile phone provider. Egyptian-owned, but recenty Qatar took a big stake.
