Tunisia: Back to Where it All Started

Perhaps the Arab Revolutions weren’t such a dream after all…if only in the country where this now long-forgotten dream first started.

In the midst of the tragic absurdity that has become the Egyptian revolution and the bloodied quagmire that has become of the Syrian one, the lone star in the Tunisian flag shines bright as any star today, after its parliament adopted a new constitution. But nobody said the road would be easy. Tunisians have paid for this achievement with what is most dear to them, including the deaths of innocent civilians and that of courageous political figures such as Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi in the post-Zine al Abidine Ben Ali era. And nobody said that this document is perfect or that its adoption constitutes the culmination of the country’s struggles. No document will ever be perfect and concessions have certainly been made, while the battle has only begun, in view of the way this new ‘law of the land’ will be enforced on the ground, on men and women, all equal in the face of the law, as per one of the new constitution’s most important features. 

Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire not because he wanted a constitution ensuring equality and democratic freedoms, but because of his inability to make a decent living for himself and his family. This new constitution does not provide the economic prosperity Bouazizi longed for, but it should pave the way for the political stability to ensure economic growth and increase opportunities for all. And at least for now and if only in one country, the deaths of those selfless revolutionaries have not gone in vain…