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We arrived at the Tunis Carthage International airport on Saturday moments before the curfew set in. The Tunisian police have been enforcing a tough curfew at nightfall to try to prevent militias from looting shops and government buildings.
Our luggage was late so we decided to leave it behind and make our way to our hotel in the city center. On our way out of the airport, we saw the first signs of the tension that is being felt everywhere. A big tank was parked at the airport entrance and armed Army men were standing by.
The streets were mostly deserted and, at every interchange, Army forces stood guard. I noticed about 40 men gathered next to a new building all holding wood sticks and looking very anxious. Our driver Ahmed confirmed that some civilians have decided to work together to guard their assets from looters.
The armed militias are made up from about 2,000 ex-Presidential guardsmen who are still angry with the protests that unfolded here last week. The Tunisian people, upset with joblessness and flagrant corruption, ousted the ruling President for the past 23 years, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.
These angry militia groups operate only at night, seeking to discredit the people's revolution by causing havoc.
Now the police and the army are on the hunt for these men. At night while trying to sleep, I could hear choppers on patrol for any signs of people disobeying the curfew.
This morning, after returning from getting our baggage at the airport, we were stopped by the military. At gun point, we were ordered to sit on the floor, hands by our sides. It was evident these soldiers were very tense. They shouted and made clear they didn't want to hear from us. After 10 minutes that felt like an hour, an army officer showed up, checked our passports and let us go.
Despite the nation's tense climate, people I spoke with are delighted at this new era of change. They say corruption was so pevasive that it was impossible to live a normal life.
As we traveled through the city, we took a look at what was left at the house of a relative of the ousted president. The lavish villa overlooking the ocean had been looted and set ablaze. What remains has turned into a living monument to the corrupt way of life that the rich enjoyed, drawing nearby residents to sift through the debris.
General elections are set to take place in 60 days amid much uncertainty over the nation's future. Tunisians seeking real change are waiting to see what happens.
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Personally, I would allow 3 months, not two, with full, even free, access by all candidates to the media.
One dictatorship goes down, but I'm certain that when the tear gas clears and the bullets stop flying, that another dictatorship will be in place. Tunisia will move from a military police state to a radical Islamic tyranny. Even if the majority of the population is moderate, the radical Islamic forces have the guns and the funding. This is going to be another radical Islamic dictatorship like in Iran.
Nice. And right across from Italy.
dougjmiller
this won't be a zionazi dictatorship as Israel
There is absolutely no evidence of radical Islamism in Tunisia. This revolution was brought about by a spontaneous, highly-educated grassroots movement, not exactly material for a "radical Islamic tyranny." The ordinary Tunisians who spent this past month on the streets courageously standing up for freedom deserve our awe and congratulations on their incredible accomplishment. They didn’t get where they are by cynically enduring the status quo. Their optimistic belief in their own power for change was what made the difference. Current developments in government leadership, including the expected announcement later today of a unity government that includes the opposition give every indication that Tunisia is moving toward an independent and true democracy. Let’s support them in their current challenges rather than preaching doom and gloom.
I hope you're right. And it's almost always a good thing to remain positive. Miracles happen all the time. But history in that part of the world says otherwise. Stayed tuned.
Actually, both dougjmiller and Casteluzzo.com are correct. The overthrow of the government was accomplished by "ordinary citizens" and not "radical Islamists". However, the current situation is not a free society diligently working on its' problems, but one of danger and anarchy. The threat from "radical Islam" is that the Islamists are far more ruthless and focused than "ordinary citizens" who will always be divided on what policies and solutions are best for the country. And, in a country with 1/3 of the citizens out of work, viable solutions cannot be achieved overnight. That presents a window of opportunity for the Islamists to convince (and intimidate) the country that "Western style" parliamentary democracy cannot solve the country's problems and that turning to Islam is the true solution.
The transition to whatever comes next will be crucial. Any attempt by Islamists to control "the streets" and intimidate political leaders and ordinary citizens will have to be quickly suppressed.
Islamic fundamentalism rules Tunisia, since the removal of BOURGUIBA years ago. Since then the country has been heading straight down hill. The country is nothing but a dictatorship ruled by Tunisia's government authoritarian Muslim rule. Women AGAIN lost all there rights.