Question

Summarize the stories and commonalities of the U.S. and Tunisian Revolutions (the start of the Arab Spring).

Answer 1

Ans)

Tunisian Revolutions

18 December 2010

intense campaign of civil resistance with street demonstrations made up the Tunisian Revolution, also known as jasmine revolution.it was popular uprising in Tunisia that protested against corruption, poverty, and political repression and forced Pres. Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali to step down in January 2011. The success of the uprising, The Tunisian government’s response to the protests attracted international criticism when dozens of protesters were killed in clashes with police. Amid accusations of use of excessive force, Ben Ali dismissed the minister of the interior, Rafik Belhaj Kacem, and vowed to establish an investigative committee to examine the government’s response to the crisis. However, clashes between police and protesters continued and spread to the capital, where the government deployed troops to control the unrest. Because earlier attempts to quell the rioting had failed, on January 13 Ben Ali appeared on national television and made broader concessions to the opposition, promising not to seek another term as president when his term ended in 2014. He expressed regret over the deaths of protesters and vowed to order police to stop using live fire except in self-defense. Addressing some of the protesters’ grievances, he said he would reduce food prices and loosen restrictions on Internet use.The demonstrations were caused by high unemployment, food inflation, corruption, a lack of political freedoms (such as freedom of speech) and poor living conditions.Tunisians were the first in the region to oust a long-time dictator, one who had ruled the country for twenty-three years. It was a genuine popular revolution, started without a leader, and was nonpolitical, nonideological, and nonreligious. After toppling President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s regime, new political parties were established and free and fair multiparty elections were held, a giant step forward in the march toward democracy. The economy continues to be a deep source of discontent, however. Youth blame the government’s inaction for continued unemployment. The Ennahda-led coalition needs to get the right mix of resources to make progress in reducing unemployment. Tunisians cannot do it alone; external assistance is badly needed..

The Arab Spring was a series of pro-democracy uprisings that enveloped several largely Muslim countries, including Tunisia, Morocco, Syria, Libya, Egypt and Bahrain. The events in these nations generally began in the spring of 2011, which led to the name. However, the political and social impact of these popular uprisings remains significant today, years after many of them ended