From social media:
• Some, once again, weirdly funny pictures from the Ben Ali photo album. Today's feature: Stretching and exercise!
• ALU is reporting that several members of the Ben Ali clan landed at Montreal-Trudeau airport today.
• Big marches Saturday toward the UGTT headquarters
• Classes will resume at Tunisian universities on Jan. 28. Primary and secondary schools will reopen on Jan. 24
• Rumor has it that Ben Ali met Friday with the U.S. Ambassador at the home of one of the Saudi princes. No word on what was discussed.
• New political parties applying for legal status... including the Ba'ath Party...
From traditional media:
• NYT has the best tick-tock of what led to Mohamed Bouazizi's self-immolation that I've read to date. Really, really exceptional reporting here!
• Mohammed Ghannouchi says he'll retire after the elections.
• Rachid Ghannouchi's pending return has sparked more media interest than just about anything else going on in Tunisia. There was a great quote I read somewhere as I put together yesterday's lost post in which someone commented that 'Islamist parties are more moderate the further they are from power.' That's a legitimate statement. Ghannouchi's maneuvering - from softening the landscape through talking about pluralism, women's rights, etc.; to his obvious plans for a BIG homecoming at Tunis-Carthage - are starting to signal that Ennadha is working on a massive strategy to hijack this secular revolution. They've probably got a chance; Like any nation (with any religion), once you get out of the cities, the commitment to secular government dissipates, and the poorer, less-educated people of the rural interior tend to be far, far, far more conservative than the coastal people and urbanites.
Ghannouchi's putting a good face on Tunisian Islamism - but we can't forget comments from 20 years ago - alleged plots to bomb tourist hotels; a call to take out American interests at the time of the Gulf War. Obviously, if Tunisia is to be a true democracy, you've got to let the guy come back. But just as obviously, the world had better hope that Tunisian media turns the same skepticism toward Ghannouchi that they turned on Ben Ali and the RCD.
--- WSJ has a pretty good article in which Ghannouchi says he isn't returning to politics, and believes in civil society, etc.
--- Time put together a piece about the rebirth of the Islamist movement in Tunisia.
• I really liked this analysis piece by William Dobson for the WP. It illustrates how, with a few deft moves, Ben Ali probably could have retained power.
• Tunisia Online News - the regime's former mouthpiece - is back up and running for the first time since Jan. 13. And, boy, what a difference a week and a half can make. Instead of the Ben Ali Hero Of The Day stories, we have something resembling news. Today's batch:
--- Schools will begin to gradually reopen this coming week.
--- Import/Export operations at Sousse are back to normal
--- Interim government orders military, police to preserve any records that can be used in prosecuting crimes under Ben Ali.
--- Police in several cities have gone on strike to protest low wages. Amazing to think that such a protest can happen, and that the state media are not just allowed to report on it, but report well. This turn of events is almost inconceivable.
I have to admit, I will sort of miss the breaking news emails I used to get from TON: "President Sends Warm Wishes to Turkmenistan on Independence Day"; "President Stresses Cooperation With Deputy Assistant Finance Minister of Moldova." They were always accompanied by a photo of Ben Ali, hard at work in the blue-wallpapered office of the President.
• Some, once again, weirdly funny pictures from the Ben Ali photo album. Today's feature: Stretching and exercise!
• ALU is reporting that several members of the Ben Ali clan landed at Montreal-Trudeau airport today.
• Big marches Saturday toward the UGTT headquarters
• Classes will resume at Tunisian universities on Jan. 28. Primary and secondary schools will reopen on Jan. 24
• Rumor has it that Ben Ali met Friday with the U.S. Ambassador at the home of one of the Saudi princes. No word on what was discussed.
• New political parties applying for legal status... including the Ba'ath Party...
From traditional media:
• NYT has the best tick-tock of what led to Mohamed Bouazizi's self-immolation that I've read to date. Really, really exceptional reporting here!
• Mohammed Ghannouchi says he'll retire after the elections.
• Rachid Ghannouchi's pending return has sparked more media interest than just about anything else going on in Tunisia. There was a great quote I read somewhere as I put together yesterday's lost post in which someone commented that 'Islamist parties are more moderate the further they are from power.' That's a legitimate statement. Ghannouchi's maneuvering - from softening the landscape through talking about pluralism, women's rights, etc.; to his obvious plans for a BIG homecoming at Tunis-Carthage - are starting to signal that Ennadha is working on a massive strategy to hijack this secular revolution. They've probably got a chance; Like any nation (with any religion), once you get out of the cities, the commitment to secular government dissipates, and the poorer, less-educated people of the rural interior tend to be far, far, far more conservative than the coastal people and urbanites.
Ghannouchi's putting a good face on Tunisian Islamism - but we can't forget comments from 20 years ago - alleged plots to bomb tourist hotels; a call to take out American interests at the time of the Gulf War. Obviously, if Tunisia is to be a true democracy, you've got to let the guy come back. But just as obviously, the world had better hope that Tunisian media turns the same skepticism toward Ghannouchi that they turned on Ben Ali and the RCD.
--- WSJ has a pretty good article in which Ghannouchi says he isn't returning to politics, and believes in civil society, etc.
--- Time put together a piece about the rebirth of the Islamist movement in Tunisia.
• I really liked this analysis piece by William Dobson for the WP. It illustrates how, with a few deft moves, Ben Ali probably could have retained power.
• Tunisia Online News - the regime's former mouthpiece - is back up and running for the first time since Jan. 13. And, boy, what a difference a week and a half can make. Instead of the Ben Ali Hero Of The Day stories, we have something resembling news. Today's batch:
--- Schools will begin to gradually reopen this coming week.
--- Import/Export operations at Sousse are back to normal
--- Interim government orders military, police to preserve any records that can be used in prosecuting crimes under Ben Ali.
--- Police in several cities have gone on strike to protest low wages. Amazing to think that such a protest can happen, and that the state media are not just allowed to report on it, but report well. This turn of events is almost inconceivable.
I have to admit, I will sort of miss the breaking news emails I used to get from TON: "President Sends Warm Wishes to Turkmenistan on Independence Day"; "President Stresses Cooperation With Deputy Assistant Finance Minister of Moldova." They were always accompanied by a photo of Ben Ali, hard at work in the blue-wallpapered office of the President.
No comments:
Post a Comment