January 21, 2011

Unprecedented among the people dealing with authoritarian regimes in the Arab world, Tunisians forced 23-year ruler Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali to flee the country after weeks of marches and protests. While the world watches in astonishment, the United States must find its voice of leadership on this issue. Remaining silent not only sends the wrong message but will lead to a missed opportunity for the U.S. to support what we have long stood for -- democracy and nonviolent dissent.

Rather than sit idly, we must reclaim our voice of leadership and take a stand that supports the people of Tunisia and speaks to our core values. A movement led by the populace, with no leader or cult of personality at the forefront, demonstrates the strong will of the Tunisian people for freedom and justice. The victory of a nonviolent resistance in a part of the world where dissent is not tolerated is astonishing and must be supported; especially considering that chaos and a vacuum in centralized leadership can lead to violence. The U.S. presence must be felt so that Tunisians feel the support of their allies as they begin their fresh start with democracy. It now is time for our policies to live up to our rhetoric on democracy in North Africa and the Middle East.

Arab dictatorships would be wise to heed the lessons from this latest saga and take note of the fate of the ex-Tunisian ruler. The astounding successful removal of Ben Ali is proof that oppressive regimes can still be toppled. A growing number of citizens of the neighboring states of Egypt, Mauritania and Algeria have set themselves on fire in an effort to emulate Tunisian Mohamed Bouazizi, who ignited the Tunisian protests after setting himself on fire.

According to a report by the AP, Bouazizi was a “university graduate whose fruits and vegetables stand was confiscated by police because he had no permit....His death touched a nerve with educated, unemployed youths in the North African country, prompting the mass protests that toppled Ben Ali.” Known as a method of protest in the Far East and India, self-immolation, mostly is uncommon in the Arab world. However, it has ignited a spat of copycat incidents in neighboring countries and is feeding into a greater culture of despair that has developed after decades of repression and hopelessness, yet another troubling sign.  We hope that the people of the region create nonviolent methods of addressing their grievances instead of employing self-immolations.

This demonstration by the Tunisian people is a cross-section of all political persuasions and socio-economic backgrounds. It represents something for the common person regardless of ideology. It also was refreshing to see no extremist rhetoric leading young people to kill them as a form of political demonstration. 

Rather than allow the situation to continue to unravel, we, the United States of America, must provide leadership. We must help the Tunisian people find justice in investigating anyone who has committed crimes against them. We must support nonviolent voices of dissent, as it will be crucial in determining the future of Tunisia and setting an example for surrounding North African and Arab states.