Overthrow makes Arab rulers jittery
BEIRUT: The near-silence of Arab leaders about the popular protests that chased Tunisia's ex-president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali from power speaks volumes.
People across the region have watched enthralled as street unrest forced Ben Ali to flee the North African country he has ruled for 23 years an unprecedented spectacle in the Arab world, where authoritarian leaders can usually only be dislodged by army coup, assassination or their own mortality.
US president Barack Obama urged free and fair elections in Tunisia, a call echoed by other Western leaders . But Arab capitals have largely kept quiet, apparently stunned by the seismic explosion of protest in Tunisia.
The reticence of Arab leaders over Tunisia may reflect their fears that, as North Africa analyst Camille Tawil argues, "what happened in Tunis proved the people can topple a government in the Arab world by taking to the streets and demonstrating" .
People across the region have watched enthralled as street unrest forced Ben Ali to flee the North African country he has ruled for 23 years an unprecedented spectacle in the Arab world, where authoritarian leaders can usually only be dislodged by army coup, assassination or their own mortality.
US president Barack Obama urged free and fair elections in Tunisia, a call echoed by other Western leaders . But Arab capitals have largely kept quiet, apparently stunned by the seismic explosion of protest in Tunisia.
The reticence of Arab leaders over Tunisia may reflect their fears that, as North Africa analyst Camille Tawil argues, "what happened in Tunis proved the people can topple a government in the Arab world by taking to the streets and demonstrating" .
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