Tunisia Offers Lessons to Repressive Arab Leaders and Citizens

20 January 2011

A woman holds a picture of Tunisia's deposed leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, reading 'Wanted', during a demonstration showing solidarity with Tunisians, in Marseilles, France , Jan. 15, 2011

Among those closely following events in Tunisia is Nadia, who works in tourism in Cairo and is well aware of the riches the region has to offer. But she adds Arab countries also have many other, unfortunate things in common.

"For instance, political tension," Nadia said. "There is a high rate of unemployment, absence of freedom of expression as people live under dictatorship for long years. We have in Egypt, for example, a large number of people [who] live below [the] poverty guideline, and for the first time we hear about this young man burning himself in front of the parliament."

That act of self-immolation in Cairo, an echo of Mohamed Bouazizi’s protest-suicide that began the revolution in Tunisia, has also been repeated in Mauretania and Algeria.

The translation of despair to action and the resulting fall of the Tunisian president, has provoked other public protests, so far relatively small, across the region.

American University in Cairo Professor Said Sadek says the events can only embolden the opposition in all Arab countries.

"The importance of giving hope, that they can lead the change and cause the change, is very important," Sadek said. "But it would not have to be in the same scenario, in the same details. History does not repeat itself with the same details."