Needstrat: Tunisia moving forward

On January 14 2011 the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia ousted President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali and the people gained political freedom. The 3^rd anniversary was marked today by thousands of Tunisians. Despite setbacks, the country is slowly moving towards a new constitution in a political process of compromise and consensus. Women are gaining equality in the constitution, and secular parties are challenging the Islamist party Ennahda, the biggest political party which is compromising on key issues.

The economic situation though is difficult, especially in the interior where unemployment is around 30%, the double of the coast line. New tax-proposals triggered violent protests, and then a retreat from the outgoing government. A new Prime minister was announced last week, and his government faces huge challenges.

Still, the country where the Arab spring started is better off than the countries to which it spread. Libya is fragmented and run by local militias, Egypt is ruled by a hard-handed military, Bahrain suppressed by an ethnic minority and Syria in flames. The Tunisians are inching forward in a way that gives me a glimmer of much needed hope.