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Two More Soldiers Injured by Land Mines in Hunt for Terrorists

Two members of the armed forces were injured in a land mine explosion this morning near the Algerian border. This followed multiple injuries caused by land mine explosions last week near Chambi Mountain, where security forces are searching for a terrorist group. The two officers were immediately brought by helicopter to the regional hospital of Kasserine [...]

Amira Masrour | 06 May 2013 | 2 Comments

Dean Acquitted of Assaulting Veiled Student

The dean of a Tunisian university accused of assaulting a veiled female student was acquitted Thursday. Two female students, including Fatouma Haji, the one who accused him of assault, were convicted of damaging the dean’s property and each received postponed four-month sentences. In a press conference following the verdict’s announcement, Dean Habib Kazdaghli said he thanked [...]

Asma Smadhi | 02 May 2013 | 5 Comments

Ennahdha Approves Mixed Political System

The Shura Council of the Ennahdha ruling party approved the creation of a mixed parliamentary/presidential system for Tunisia’s future government during an emergency meeting held yesterday, Fathi Ayadi, chair of the Council, told Mosaique FM. The new system of government would balance power between the president and prime minister. It was proposed by a key parliamentary committee [...]

Amira Masrour | 29 April 2013 | 1 Comment

Tunisians React to Essebsi as Presidential Candidate

Opposition leader Beji Caid Essebsi’s announcement Sunday that he will run for president has sparked mixed reactions from politicians and regular Tunisians alike. The statement from the head of the Nidaa Tounes party was broadcast on Nessma TV. According to the third and final draft of Tunisia’s new constitution, potential candidates for president must be [...]

Farah Samti | 29 April 2013 | 6 Comments

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Category: Opinion

From London to Tunis to Paris, Tunisians Release Balloons to Honor Chokri Belaid

Op-ed Contributor | 18 March 2013 | 1 Comment

Tunisians gathered in Tunis, Paris and London Sunday to release thousands of red and white balloons in honor of the memory of Chokri Belaid. It has been over 40 days since the opposition leader was assassinated while leaving his home in a Tunis suburb. His murder marked Tunisia’s first such assassination in the street since [...]

My Experience as a Tunisian American in the U.S. Jury System

Op-ed Contributor | 12 March 2013 | 8 Comments

February 4, 2013: I opened my mail and saw the purple letter from the County Court: a summons for ONE DAY (in capital letters) of jury duty on March 4, 2013. At first, I was uncertain about the commitment: Am I going to be here? Can I come up with an excuse not to attend? [...]

Oil, Guns, and Tribesmen: Will Libya’s Militias Lay Down their Arms?

Youssef Gaigi | 07 March 2013 | 2 Comments

Libya’s failure to collect weapons and bring militiamen into the rank-and-file of the defense and interior ministries not only endangers the democratic transition in the oil rich country, but also threatens to destabilize neighboring countries and conflict zones in the Sahel region. In recent months, Tunisia, for example, has seen a surge in seized weapon caches [...]

Tunisia in Transition: My Interview with a Prostitute

Op-ed Contributor | 27 February 2013 | 7 Comments

SILENT NIGHT It’s eleven o’clock in the evening on a cold Christmas Eve in Tunis. I’m walking past the Cathedral of St. Vincent de Paul on Avenue Habib Bourguiba in the center of town. The imposing structure is a physical and spiritual non-sequitur in this 98 percent Muslim country. The scene is foreboding. It’s been [...]

North Africa Needs Private Sector Investment, Not Charity

Op-ed Contributor | 20 February 2013 | 10 Comments

By Peter K. Semler Tunisia, the Arab world’s first democracy, is under threat not because of a rogue group of Salafists and other extremists, but because of well-meaning yet tragically misguided economic policies originating from Washington, D.C. The current turmoil in a country that could easily become a new Portugal in terms of GDP in [...]

Confronting the Challenge of Preventing Atrocity Crimes in 2013

Op-ed Contributor | 31 January 2013 | 1 Comment

By Adama Dieng As we head into 2013, the crises in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Sudan, and Syria serve as tragic reminders of the challenges that remain in the struggle to protect populations from atrocity crimes, namely genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity. We are [...]

Tunisia Should Focus on Internal Security, Not Border Control

Op-ed Contributor | 29 January 2013 | 3 Comments

By Felix Tusa The day after the French government recently launched its military intervention in Mali, President Moncef Marzouki admitted his fear that weapons had been illegally trafficked through Tunisia on their way to the conflict. “Our own jihadists are found in connection with terrorist forces,” he said in an interview with France 24. “One [...]

Two Years on: Has the Tunisian Uprising Plagiarized the French Revolution?

Op-ed Contributor | 14 January 2013 | 1 Comment

By Baligh Ben Taleb At the dawn of 2011, a new revolutionary spirit touched major parts of North Africa and the Middle East, while others remain inviolate. Comparisons between historical uprisings triggered discussions as to whether the birth place of the Arab uprising, Tunisia, could plagiarize the French Revolution. But, was there really a genuine [...]

Two Years After the Revolution

Op-ed Contributor | 12 January 2013 | 0 Comments

By Her Majesty’s Ambassador Chris O’Connor Monday, January 14, marks the second anniversary of the historic departure of Tunisia’s former president and the beginning of its remarkable political transition. The date is now a prominent milestone in Tunisian history. And given the wider impact of Tunisia’s revolution across North Africa and beyond, it is a [...]

Tunisia Live Co-Founder to Star in Al Jazeera English Series

Op-ed Contributor | 10 January 2013 | 0 Comments

By Al Jazeera staff A fresh generation of African leaders will be featured on the new Al Jazeera English series, Tutu’s Children. Four special documentaries will follow the exploits of participants in the leadership program Desmond Tutu leads in an attempt to build a new network of African leaders, who are together committed to tackling their [...]

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