THE AMERICANIZATION OF THE ARABS:

Revolt in Tunisia (WSJ, 1/14/11)

An oft-forgotten truth about dictatorships is how unassailable they appear—right up to the moment they fall. An example is unfolding in Tunisia, where strongman Zine el Abidine Ben Ali appeared to have fled the country late yesterday after a month of protests across the North African nation.

The unrest started in mid-December, when unemployed 26-year-old Tunisian Mohamed Bouazizi tried to sell vegetables on the streets of his rural village without a license. After police confiscated his produce, Bouazizi immolated himself in protest. News of his suicide spread quickly, mostly via Facebook, a social-networking site that the government hadn't banned. [...]

But the demonstrations grew, and by yesterday the 74-year-old Mr. Ben Ali had shifted to appeasement by lifting restrictions on the media, calling for elections within six months and ordering troops not to use live ammunition. It was too late. By last night he had declared a state of emergency before fleeing to Malta under Libyan protection.

On to Egypt....

Posted by Orrin Judd at January 14, 2011 7:29 PM