Similar to a majority of post colonial countries, North African countries have struggled with the concepts of free and fair democracies. But there is a quasi-revolution taking place in the region. Quasi, because it is unknown if the movement will be successful or long lasting. A revolution nonetheless. Egypt led this quasi-revolutionary charge, but Tunisia is the first country to undergo the changes necessary to create a sustainable, free and fair democracy in North Africa.
By early 2008, Egypt was experiencing protests and movements led by civil society. As protests began to garner international attention, other North Africans followed suit. Last month, grassroots movements in Algeria and Tunisia appeared in the forefront of political, social and economic turmoil. What started in Egypt as a movement against a dictatorial presidency that focused on political reform, spread to Algeria and Tunisia where it also encompassed protests against economic and social insecurities.
Algerians took to the streets to protest increasing rates of unemployment and increasing costs for necessities such as food and fuel. In Tunisia fomenting unrest took a surprising turn after Mohammed Bouazizi lit himself on fire. Bouazizi was an unemployed graduate who had just watched the police confiscate his only source of revenue—fruits and vegetables—because he lacked the proper permit. His actions catalyzed demonstrations that increased in intensity throughout December and into January.
Public protests and demonstrations were extremely uncommon in Tunisia due to the severity of government enforcement. The government took several steps to quell the protests including introducing new spending on employment programs, arrests, sporadic shootings into crowds of protestors and on January 13th, 2011, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia’s now former President announced he would not run for re-election. None of these attempts were successful. After Zine El Abidine Ben Ali announced he would not run for re-election in 2014, upwards of 6,000 people took to the streets of Tunis ultimately forcing Ben Ali’s abdication of power. Although the power vacuum was quickly resolved, the announcement of a new national unity government which sought to open up political and media freedom triggered further protests. Tunisians are now taking to the streets in protest of the former ruling party holding any positions in the new government.
Although keeping an eye on protests, events and elections in Tunisia will be important, one cannot solely focus on the political turmoil and results there. One must acknowledge the possibility of a domino effect occurring in North Africa. What began in Egypt as civil society fight to re-gain a voice in politics has quickly spread to several other countries. The speed at which protestors sacked the Tunisian government has grabbed the attention of protestors throughout the region. Within three days of Ben Ali abdicating power, at least four people (two in Algeria, one in Mauritania and one in Egypt) have ignited themselves in front of government buildings in an attempt to emulate Bouazizi and provoke open, wide spread confrontation with the ruling regimes.
While it is important to keep an eye on North Africa as a whole, Egypt is especially important to watch. In September 2011, Egypt will hold Presidential elections; there has already been widespread criticism of freedom to campaign and opposition parties have already been outlawed. Egyptians and international observers expect an election filled with fraud and irregularities. Abdouh Abdel Moneim, an Egyptian restaurant owner, has already taken action to incite civilian protests by lighting himself ablaze in front of the Parliament building. If the crisis in Tunisia is resolved in a means that is favorable to civil society, Egyptians may further test the threat of violence and test their luck at overthrowing the ruling regime through protests rather than the already mistrusted and fraudulent electoral system.
What makes these movements unique from other anti-government and political reform movements in the Arab World is that it is being led by civil society and not by radical Islamists. There is no definitive reason why fundamentalists are largely absent from this quasi-revolution, but one must remember that North Africa is different from the Middle East. Leaders of North Africa have long ruled under States of Emergency or other marshal law type legal codes. The main reason for doing so is the government’s continued vocalization of the threat of terrorism. Ruling regimes have consolidated power as a response to terrorists’ threats, but at the end of the day, a majority of North African cities and countries have not experienced the continual result of terrorist threats and the nations remained relatively stable and largely immune from fundamentalism—unlike several Middle Eastern countries. Additionally, Islam in North Africa is much different than Islam in the Middle East, there is a lack of Wahhabi Islam in North Africa and higher incidence rates of Sufi Islam. Wahhabi Islam, the more common practice in the Arabian Peninsula follows a stricter interpretation of the Quran and Sunnah. Sufi Islam incorporates a wider range of pre-Islamic practices, customs and beliefs such as dancing, singing and mysticism, thus leaving the religious and social philosophies less susceptible to fundamentalism.
Although the events in Tunisia are significant on their own, they are symbolic of the frustrations experienced by all of North Africa and may ultimately prove to be the catalyst for a regional revolution bringing freedom, openness and multi-party politics—in essence free and fair democracy—to North Africa. We will follow developments and events in Tunisia, but keep an eye on the North African region as a whole, especially Egypt.
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Turmoil in Tunisia: The Beginning of a Domino Effect
January 17, 2011
Similar to a majority of post colonial countries, North African countries have struggled with the concepts of free and fair democracies. But there is a quasi-revolution taking place in the region. Quasi, because it is unknown if the movement will be successful or long lasting. A revolution nonetheless. Egypt led this quasi-revolutionary charge, but Tunisia is the first country to undergo the changes necessary to create a sustainable, free and fair democracy in North Africa.
By early 2008, Egypt was experiencing protests and movements led by civil society. As protests began to garner international attention, other North Africans followed suit. Last month, grassroots movements in Algeria and Tunisia appeared in the forefront of political, social and economic turmoil. What started in Egypt as a movement against a dictatorial presidency that focused on political reform, spread to Algeria and Tunisia where it also encompassed protests against economic and social insecurities.
Algerians took to the streets to protest increasing rates of unemployment and increasing costs for necessities such as food and fuel. In Tunisia fomenting unrest took a surprising turn after Mohammed Bouazizi lit himself on fire. Bouazizi was an unemployed graduate who had just watched the police confiscate his only source of revenue—fruits and vegetables—because he lacked the proper permit. His actions catalyzed demonstrations that increased in intensity throughout December and into January.
Public protests and demonstrations were extremely uncommon in Tunisia due to the severity of government enforcement. The government took several steps to quell the protests including introducing new spending on employment programs, arrests, sporadic shootings into crowds of protestors and on January 13th, 2011, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia’s now former President announced he would not run for re-election. None of these attempts were successful. After Zine El Abidine Ben Ali announced he would not run for re-election in 2014, upwards of 6,000 people took to the streets of Tunis ultimately forcing Ben Ali’s abdication of power. Although the power vacuum was quickly resolved, the announcement of a new national unity government which sought to open up political and media freedom triggered further protests. Tunisians are now taking to the streets in protest of the former ruling party holding any positions in the new government.
Although keeping an eye on protests, events and elections in Tunisia will be important, one cannot solely focus on the political turmoil and results there. One must acknowledge the possibility of a domino effect occurring in North Africa. What began in Egypt as civil society fight to re-gain a voice in politics has quickly spread to several other countries. The speed at which protestors sacked the Tunisian government has grabbed the attention of protestors throughout the region. Within three days of Ben Ali abdicating power, at least four people (two in Algeria, one in Mauritania and one in Egypt) have ignited themselves in front of government buildings in an attempt to emulate Bouazizi and provoke open, wide spread confrontation with the ruling regimes.
While it is important to keep an eye on North Africa as a whole, Egypt is especially important to watch. In September 2011, Egypt will hold Presidential elections; there has already been widespread criticism of freedom to campaign and opposition parties have already been outlawed. Egyptians and international observers expect an election filled with fraud and irregularities. Abdouh Abdel Moneim, an Egyptian restaurant owner, has already taken action to incite civilian protests by lighting himself ablaze in front of the Parliament building. If the crisis in Tunisia is resolved in a means that is favorable to civil society, Egyptians may further test the threat of violence and test their luck at overthrowing the ruling regime through protests rather than the already mistrusted and fraudulent electoral system.
What makes these movements unique from other anti-government and political reform movements in the Arab World is that it is being led by civil society and not by radical Islamists. There is no definitive reason why fundamentalists are largely absent from this quasi-revolution, but one must remember that North Africa is different from the Middle East. Leaders of North Africa have long ruled under States of Emergency or other marshal law type legal codes. The main reason for doing so is the government’s continued vocalization of the threat of terrorism. Ruling regimes have consolidated power as a response to terrorists’ threats, but at the end of the day, a majority of North African cities and countries have not experienced the continual result of terrorist threats and the nations remained relatively stable and largely immune from fundamentalism—unlike several Middle Eastern countries. Additionally, Islam in North Africa is much different than Islam in the Middle East, there is a lack of Wahhabi Islam in North Africa and higher incidence rates of Sufi Islam. Wahhabi Islam, the more common practice in the Arabian Peninsula follows a stricter interpretation of the Quran and Sunnah. Sufi Islam incorporates a wider range of pre-Islamic practices, customs and beliefs such as dancing, singing and mysticism, thus leaving the religious and social philosophies less susceptible to fundamentalism.
Although the events in Tunisia are significant on their own, they are symbolic of the frustrations experienced by all of North Africa and may ultimately prove to be the catalyst for a regional revolution bringing freedom, openness and multi-party politics—in essence free and fair democracy—to North Africa. We will follow developments and events in Tunisia, but keep an eye on the North African region as a whole, especially Egypt.
