Themes Rob Prince 14 January 2011

Tunisia: Zine Ben Ali Tunisia’s President Flees The Country To Malta

It’s semi official. Zine Ben Ali, Tunisia and his corrupt, oppressive regime are now history. There are numerous reports, including one from Le Monde that Ben Ali is gone and turned the governing of the country over to the Tunisian army. He did this after several press conferences these past days spoken in a language I am told he has not used for 23 years – the Tunisian Arabic dialect – offering the people of his country much of what it is that he has taken away these past decades: economic opportunity and democracy. Too little too late, his concessions were laughed at and did nothing to dampen the opposition.

Themes Sami Ben Gharbia 03 January 2011

Les cyber-activistes arabes face à la liberté sur Internet made in USA

Cet article se concentre sur le cyber-activisme de base dans le monde arabe et les risques encourus d’une collision inévitable avec la politique étrangère et les intérêts US. Il résume l’essentiel des discussions que j’ai eues, ces deux dernières années, avec de multiples acteurs engagés dans la défense de la liberté d’expression sur Internet et dans l’utilisation de la technologie pour le changement social et politique. Bien que le sujet principal demeure l’activisme numérique arabe, j’y ai inclus les problématiques et inquiétudes similaires soulevées par des activistes et défenseurs de la liberté d’expression sur Internet issus d’autres parties du monde comme la Chine, la Thaïlande et l’Iran.

Politics La rédaction 20 December 2010

Deconstructing Tunileaks: An Interview with Professor Rob Prince, University of Denver

In order to have an “American” perspective on the Tunileaks affair, Nawaat invited Rob Prince to share his thoughts on the leaked diplomatic cables from the US embassy in Tunisia. Rob Prince is a Lecture of International Studies at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver. Rob served as a Peace Corps Volunteer and Staff Member in Tunis and Sousse. For more insight into Rob Prince thoughts on Tunisia, please listen to his interview with the KGNU Radio – Hemispheres about the human rights situation in our country. In this interview, we asked professor Rob about his first impression after reading the diplomatic cables; the state of the “institutionalized corruption” in the country and the consequence of these leaks on the US-Tunisia relationship; and how the Tunisian civil society, the opposition and the Tunisian online citizen media initiatives can use the leaks in their favor and push for a real change.

Themes Larbi Sadiki 28 September 2010

Bin Ali Baba Tunisia’s last bey?

What happens when money, coercion and blood ties become the potion of power? A ‘state’ is born. Not ‘Tunis,’ that place of congeniality and conviviality as its Arabic name suggests. Rather, a different ‘Tunis,’ a Tunis, which is run and owned by a club of rich and powerful families. That ‘Tunis’ today conjures up a disturbing political triad […]