The Long Shadow of Ben Ali | PhilSugar
Argument An expert’s point of view on a current event. The Long Shadow of Ben Ali How a decades-old fake coup attempt is taking its toll on Tunisia. By Brian Klaas , a professor of global politics at University College London. fp-placeholder-social-share-3-2 Security Economics Corruption Middle East and North Africa December 17, 2013, 4:58 PM Three years ago today, on Dec. 17, 2010, a young vegetable vendor lit himself on fire, committing suicide to protest life under Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali's dictatorship in Tunisia. This spark set Tunisia -- and then the Arab world -- ablaze with political change in the wave of revolutions that became known as the Arab Spring. Tunisia seemed poised to rise phoenix-like from the ashes of its dictatorial past, bringing democracy to northern Africa for…