This week, as the Arab world was celebrating the Eid al-Adha holiday, Tunisia reminded us that the "Arab Spring" revolution that began in 2011 didn't exactly go in the right direction.
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The Tunisian people, similar to most peoples in the Arab world, are angry and dissatisfied with what's happening in their country, despite the historic revolution that transpired that expelled a corrupt and cruel regime.
Tunisian President Kais Saied, a former constitutional law professor elected in 2019, decided this week to dismiss his Islamic-leaning government. Not only did he suspend the parliament in advance of having his colleagues arrested by security forces, he deployed the military across the country and prevented parliament speaker Rached Ghannouchi, one of the more prominent Islamic figures not just in Tunisia but the entire Arab world, from entering the parliament building.
In response, Ghannouchi called on his supporters to take to the streets, which exacerbated the chaos gripping the country in recent weeks and sparked clashes between civilians and security forces.
This dire situation is an extension of the crisis that has plagued the country for more than two decades now, the apex of which was the Arab Spring. However, even those elected democratically have been unable to stabilize the country, and the emergency situation is continuing. Terrorist attacks have afflicted almost the entire country, primarily against tourists, and several political leaders have paid with their lives for their views and actions. Many view the developments in Tunisia as reminiscent of what took place in Egypt with the ouster of previous president Mohammed Morsi and rise to power of current President Abdel Fatah el-Sissi.
It appears the Arab Spring didn't exactly benefit Arab countries, mainly due to power struggles between the liberal parties seeking Western reforms, and the Islamist parties whose aim is to lord over everything in the country with an iron fist.
Across the Arab world, and especially in a country such as Tunisia with relative proximity to Europe, youths have been emigrating in droves for the past decade. The economic and social situation in the country leaves them with no hope of a better future, and they would rather leave their homeland in search of an alternative in a country that can at least offer them work and an income.
Tunisia's situation doesn't appear to be promising, particularly after the president declared a month-long state of emergency, which the supporters of the Islamist party are viewing as an attempt to disenfranchise them. The emergency situation and the curfew that was imposed certainly don't serve the aim of alleviating tensions, and the situation will only get worse. We can expect to see harsh clashes between civilians and security forces. The situation in Tunisia, the pioneer of the Arab Spring, is no different from the situation in other Arab countries, such as Egypt, Lebanon and Syria.
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