Jan. 19 updates

(Updates, 1144 ET)
• Apparently, FM Kamel Morjane is being recalled from the Arab League summit. Morjane alighted from Sharm el-Sheikh on a passenger flight.
• Experts see a rebound in the Tunisian economy - but it could be messy. Divorcing the Trabelsi control from everything from supermarkets to airlines to investment banks to car dealerships, then auctioning off the Trabelsi shares of the business will take time.
• VERY nice foreign policy piece on NPR.
• Economist has a nice round up of Arab press reflections.


From social media & our friends:
• Curfew scaled back to 8 p.m.
• In the purging of All Things Seven (Ben Ali's trademark for things related to The Change): Sevenair will now be known as TunisAir Express.
• Let's call this account highly dubious - it's unsourced, and it's hard to imagine how they could know all this. But TA has been really, really accurate so far, and I'm putting it out there. This is an account of Ben Ali's last hours in power. If this account is at all accurate, the United States was far more active behind the scenes than public statements would indicate. Supposedly, it was made clear to the foreign minister that further civilian casualties would result in U.S. sanctions. At first, Ben Ali thought he could go to Paris and get some good press as Tunis burned, and then when the chaos got too great, would return home triumphantly to restore order. America leaned on the French to deny Ben Ali entry; then asked the Saudis to take him. All interesting, if it's true.
• I am noticing a change in the tenor of social media statements overall among our friends. It seems many are ready to accept the interim government and get on with elections and a new start. Yet media reports that thousands are still protesting - I am wondering, exactly who are the protesters now? Unionists? Angry folks? Who is making up the bulk of the movement?

From traditional media:
• UN Human Rights team on its way to Tunis.
• The Swiss are freezing all Ben Ali/Trabelsi assets.
• Tunisian 'authorities' will investigate Ben Ali's foreign assets. Locals are pegging Ben Ali's 23-year tab around $20B USD stolen.
• More horror stories about The Hairdresser.