Jasmine Revolution Continues: Interim Tunisia Government Collapses

Discussion in 'Latest Hip News Stories' started by skip, Jan 13, 2011.

  1. skip

    skip Founder Administrator

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    UPDATE 1/31: Leader of banned opposition party returns to Tunisia after 22 year exile!

    UPDATE 1/18: New Tunisian Government Collapses.     The new Tunisian President and PM both resigned after four cabinet members resigned in protest against former President Ben Ali's cabinet ministers remaining in power.
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/18/tunisian-leaders-quit-protest-ministers

    UPDATE 1/15: New interim President    , Fouad Mebazaa takes power, Today the former president of the lower house of parliament ordered the creation of a unity government that could include the opposition, which had been ignored under President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's 23 years of autocratic rule.

    UPDATE 1/14: President Ben Ali has fled the country to Saudi Arabia, Curfew Declared.

    UPDATE 1/14: The president of Tunisia has stepped down, as the rioting intensified.

    Riots have been ongoing in Tunisia for the past few weeks, but now they seem to have gone beyond the control of police forces. The riots are blamed on high unemployment among young people, particularly college graduates who used Facebook and other social networking sites to coordinate their protests. Wikileaks may have also had a hand in this revolution as it released a series of cables about the corruption of the Tunisian government and president.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/14/world/africa/14tunisia.html?_r=2&hp
     
    skip, Jan 13, 2011
    #1
  3. skip

    skip Founder Administrator

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    I hope this scenario doesn't turn into what happened in Iran nearly 30 years ago when students rioted and the CLERGY came in and took control. Not a good scenario for the Tunisians if they go fundamentalist...
     
    skip, Jan 13, 2011
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  5. TheMadcapSyd

    TheMadcapSyd Titanic's captain, yo!

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    That was 30 years ago though, the world was a much different place and a lot of students in 1979 supported the Khomeini in a response to the Shaw. Last year the exact opposite was happening, hundreds of thousands of people, many of them students on the streets protesting for the reformist candidate, decked out in cell phones, baseball caps, designer jeans and sunglasses.

    The same seems to be going on in Tunisia, what began as a man who set himself on fire after police tried to close down his fruit stand has erupted into overall frustration with both long term restrictions and the current unemployment problem.
     
    TheMadcapSyd, Jan 13, 2011
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  7. TheMadcapSyd

    TheMadcapSyd Titanic's captain, yo!

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    TheMadcapSyd, Jan 13, 2011
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  9. SpacemanSpiff

    SpacemanSpiff Visitor

    I found this statement disturbing


    what the hell were their orders before this one was issued ....to just shoot anyone?
     
    SpacemanSpiff, Jan 13, 2011
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  11. RooRshack

    RooRshack On Sabbatical

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    Well it says they shot dozens to death... and I don't think dozens of people where rushing police, while just dieing... Sounds like they where firing into crowds however they pleased.


    More power to em'. I don't generally think that's the answer, but it sounds like they'd just had enough... Not sure I support the looting of private stores and stuff, even if they're partly owned by the presidents family, I would support boycotts. But the pictures of looting the mansion are heartwarming:love:
     
    RooRshack, Jan 13, 2011
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  13. TheMadcapSyd

    TheMadcapSyd Titanic's captain, yo!

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    Huh, the president of Tunisia has stepped down, did not see that coming.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12195025

    This is big, not just in Tunisia. An autocratic Arab leader was brought down by protesters. The whole of the Mid East/North Africa is looking at this with worry probably, given what happened in Iran after the elections there, and the growing tension that is rising in Egypt.
     
    TheMadcapSyd, Jan 14, 2011
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  15. skip

    skip Founder Administrator

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    So this scene in Tunisia is the First Wikileaks Revolution! It was Wikileaks cables describing the corrupt government of Tunisia that partially sparked the student unrest. It confirmed (from an outside source) what the people of Tunisia already knew. It gave them added incentive to revolt.

    I wonder which country will be next to see a gov't fall due to Wikileaks?
     
    skip, Jan 14, 2011
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  17. TheMadcapSyd

    TheMadcapSyd Titanic's captain, yo!

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    Eh, I wouldn't really give much if any credit to wikileaks, this would've near certainly happened with or without wikileaks. This was nothing Tunisians didn't already know, hell the turnout for the last presidential election was something like only 15%. Tunisia however has always had a pretty moderate standard of living, comfort can make people ignore corruption, especially when looking at some other parts of the Arab world and sub-sarahan Africa. This is just the collimation of two years of rising anger, rising prices, rising unemployment. This all started with one guy who set himself on fire after police tried to close down his illegal fruit stand.

    There have been people who have helped sparked a revolution before, though I think few have done it as literally as whoever that guy was.
     
    TheMadcapSyd, Jan 14, 2011
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  19. skip

    skip Founder Administrator

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    As you can see there is a big connection to the actual events that occured after the cables. Apparently the cables confirmed for doubtful Tunisians just how corrupt their leadership was.

    I hope the "Elite" everywhere in the world are getting nervous. This could catch on elsewhere.

    It's End Game for corrupt leadership now that the people have the power of the Internet and instant communications.

    No one is immune. Expect gov'ts to start getting Medieval on protesters now. They're not going to take any chances. And that over-reaction will be their undoing.

    YouTube Video Posted up today!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6fYcDOeuM0"]YouTube - Disturbing pictures of political violence in Tunis
     
    skip, Jan 14, 2011
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  21. skip

    skip Founder Administrator

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    It's been reported that former president Ben Ali's wife stole 1.5 tons of gold from the Central Bank on her way out of Tunisia.

    http://www.cnbc.com/id/41115532
     
    skip, Jan 18, 2011
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  23. skip

    skip Founder Administrator

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    I can't believe how fast this is all playing out! The diplomatic world can't even keep up with events unfolding in Tunisia and elsewhere in the Arab world. With protests spreading across North Africa (Egypt, Libya, Algeria) and elsewhere this could catch fire! Where else might it spread to?

    What's amazing at the moment is how well connected all protesters are becoming via social media. They are tracking events in Tunisia all over the Arab world, in arabic, so it's inspiring many oppressed people to rise up. If more do it, it will spread just as it did in Eastern Europe in the last decade.
     
    skip, Jan 18, 2011
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  25. skip

    skip Founder Administrator

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    Sarkozy's government is looking more than foolish now after it offered to send in troops to support Ben Ali's repressive government in face of the protests. Now the French are having to welcome democracy in Tunisia to save face. They're also trying to freeze all assets of Ben Ali's family in France. The EU may arrest or ban the family too.

    I really like how once a corrupt leader falls, everyone turns against him, including those who were happy doing corrupt business deals with him.

    You know a ban by the EU would really fuck over any of these despots. They live to go to Europe to shop and live the high life. They all keep lots of money in Europe too for safety reasons. Of course Switzerland isn't in the EU, so I guess they'll still be welcome there.

    Please release that Swiss data on corruption in the banks soon, Wikileaks!
     
    skip, Jan 18, 2011
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  27. love-laughter

    love-laughter Member

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    Sarkozy is an even bigger idiot that George Bush. He's a fucking moron that had to finish grade school by correspondance and his mommy had to "buy" his degree in law.


    He was put in power by Paul Desmarais and the Power Corporation. (( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Desmarais ))

    Desmarais not only "invested" in Sarkozy's political career in order to be able to get his hands on EDF gaz and Total petrole. But also helped chanel money, through his position with the bank PNB Paribas, from the CIA to Sarkozy and provided cover stories for CIA operatives that were sent to help, advise and market the Sarkozy political campaign.
     
    love-laughter, Jan 19, 2011
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  29. Culdeemoon

    Culdeemoon Member

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    Islam provides an outlet for the outpouring of disaffection that many in the middle east and surrounding countries feel. you must leave independent peoples to self determine their own lives. America and the West can't jump in and make the same futile mistakes they made in the past. You can't go to war with the world, nor should you want to... f..k the arms dealers and oil magnates, keep your nose and sons out of it!http://www.hipforums.com/newforums/images/smilies/confused.gif
     
    Culdeemoon, Jan 25, 2011
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  31. skip

    skip Founder Administrator

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    This reminds me of yesterday's news quotes about how the US was upset that its "investment" in the Hariri regime was lost now that Hizbollah has taken power in Lebanon. Just what is the nature of that "investment"? No doubt similar to the one with Sarkozy.

    Now the US has to deal with Hizbollah as a soverign gov't. Too bad we still consider them a terror organization! How's our laws going to deal with that?
     
    skip, Jan 26, 2011
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  33. skip

    skip Founder Administrator

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    UPDATE 1/31: Leader of banned opposition party returns to Tunisia after 22 year exile!
     
    skip, Jan 31, 2011
    #17
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