Apparently those looking for updates about the revolution in Tunisia via mainstream media were largely out of luck, according to Amy Goodman and her guest today on Democracy Now!, University of Michigan professor of history Juan Cole.
In recent days, Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has been ousted and sent into exile in Saudi Arabia, following more than four weeks of protests throughout the country over food prices, unemployment and government repression. Just last week, the protests spread to Tunis, the relatively wealthy capitol city. Many Tunisians are calling for him to be extradited back to Tunisia to be tried.
The French media and Facebook had the US beat on coverage of what is the first popular revolution in the middle-east in decades, since the 1979 revolution in Iran. Said Cole, “But the American corporate news just blew off this story. They’re not interested in it. They don’t seem to think it’s important. Or maybe they’re a little bit afraid of it, because it is, after all, a revolution made by workers, and American corporate media are a little nervous about things like that.”
Nervous, indeed. Especially given the sudden recent focus on inflammatory speech, violence and calls for ‘action’ in American media these days, that nervousness makes sense. But it’s really no excuse to ignore an important world event. One reason Cole mentions for the lack of interest in this country is that the Tunisian revolution is not one fueled by Muslims. Were that the case, the so-called War on Terror would be invoked, stoking the rampant fear of Islam in America. Instead, as Cole remarks, “since it was a labor revolution and an internet activist revolution, it wasn’t seen as connected in any way to the master narrative of American foreign policy, which is now the—still the war on terror, even though they don’t call it that.”
Goodman’s interview with Cole makes it quite clear that like all revolutions, this one is happening on many levels at once (economic, class, education, etc.). Unlike some, it has many sectors involved in the uprising: labor groups, internet activists, rural workers. Cole describes it as “a populist revolution, and not particularly dominated in any way by Islamic themes, it seems to be a largely secular development,” and he further points out that so far at least, this distinguishes it from the Iranian Revolution of 1979 in that the latter was “ultimately taken over by the ayatollahs, by a clerical elite.”
It may in part be the multi-faceted, populist aspect of this particular revolution that has many leaders of the Arab world (as well as Israel, given its neighbors) concerned. According to Cole, this is something very new for them and even former revolutionary and now longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi of Libya has gotten rather comfortable with the status quo, scolding the Tunisians for not being patient — presumably hoping his own citizens will heed the caution.
The revolution is being called by many a “WikiLeaks revolution.” Cole remearks about the WikiLeaks factor:
One thing to keep in mind is that Tunisia is not an oil state. And it suffered from a kind of nepotism that was extreme. I mean, the U.S. leaked cables from WikiLeaks suggest that 50 percent of the economic elite of that country was related in one way or another to the president or to the first lady, Leila Ben Ali, and her Trabelsi clan. So, the combination of not having any extra resources to bribe people and buy them off and also of monopolizing the country’s economic resources in the hands of a few relatives was unique to Tunisia.
While this exact situation may be unique to Tunisia, surely the issues of hunger, poverty, nepotism, corruption, frustration, classcism and workers’ rights are not. They seem to exist in various combination the world over, no matter how developed or underdeveloped the country. It remains to be seen what other glimpses behind the wizard’s curtain the leaked US diplomatic cables give us, and how the information gets used by those with the desire for change. In Tunisia, at least, it would seem a box of matches has been struck.
overdrive,
Thanks so much for the information on when Tunisia got her independence from France, and the time of day when the 11/7/87 coup was announced. I will use this to refine the earlier chart and make a new one for 3/20/56. I got some data from another astrologer who got it from Nick Campion’s book that gave the “birth time” for Tunisia as June 15, 1956 at 5 PM. Any idea as to what that would refer to?
be
I’m from Tunisia.
Tunisia had her independence from France the 20th of march 1956 at 6 PM.
The 7th of November coup was announced to the nation through the radio waves at 6:30am
Here we are proud and vigilant to achieve Democratic rule in the coming months with elections. Tunisians are enforcing free speech and protests keep going to get rid of the ruling party remnants who may obstruct the ongoing revolution.
The rule of fear fall when they started killing people, they had nothing worse left to intimidate the population.
Just got a response to my inquiry about Tunisia on Facebook to one of my friends whose husband served in the US embassy there. They’re stateside now, but they still keep regular contact with their Tunisian friends.
The Tunisians are amazing themselves–they can’t quite believe this is happening — that there is this breakthrough vis-a-vis this revolution. Overthrowing a dictator of 23 years is no small feat, given the corruption that has been rampant since the former regime’s rise.
There is great concern that the people left forming the new government are old standbys from the former regime. There is reason for the crowds to be on the street, and staying there. They opened Pandora’s Box, and will the new government clamp down on them like the old? My friend tempered her words and her hopes. Let’s see how this unfolds. In the meantime, hold them in your thoughts.
mystes — glad to hear NPR was on it yesterday. the reference by Goodman and Cole to lack of coverage in the US seemed to refer mainly to the weekend and to cable tv news.
like brendan, i too lack cable tv & tend to get my news from a combo of online and the radio. so the relative lack of media coverage was a surprise to me, too.
friday i received a NY Times “breaking news” email about Ben Ali leaving Tunisia, but i guess they do not have a cable tv station. ‘course, sunday they also sent a “breaking news” alert about the jets beating the patriots. so……..
🙂
Um, NPR spent about 20 minutes on this during their All Things Considered broadcast yesterday. Now I don’t watch cable news *at all* but this seemed decent coverage from what is arguably ‘mainstream’ media.
Enough to get a jolt from it, and another jolt from news of BabyDoc hitting Haitian shores. Bad mojo, that. The Tonntonne Macoute aren’t dead enough for me.
It’s happenin’, people. Feelin’ a little jumpy? That’s not at all without its wisdom.
Amanda,
This is a very interesting story and I’m glad you posted it. Like Len, an astrological explanation is sought out of habit or, in my case, curiosity. Unable to find a birth chart per se, I have the date that Pres. Ben Ali acceded to the executive office, which is November 7, 1987. November 7 is celebrated as a national holiday in Tunisia.
The chart for this day has Neptune at 5 Capricorn 55, and today Mercury was conjunct Pluto at 5 Capricorn 44. And here you are with a story about Tunisia! On that day in 1987, the Moon was in Gemini at 5 degrees and 46 minutes at noon. This would be a quincunx aspect between Neptune and the Moon, which represents the people of a country, as you know, and being Gemini could explain the “multi-faceted populace aspect”.
The Sun at 14 Scorpio 29 is one degree away from the New Moon in November this past year, 13 Scorpio 40, the same degree that Venus went retrograde on October 8th, and 12 Scorpio 52 is where Venus and Mars were conjunct on October 3rd, the midpoint between the Sun and Pluto (at 10 Scorpio 05) in the ’87 chart.
In addition, the ’87 chart has Uranus at 24 Sagittarius 30 and in the winter solstice chart Mercury retrograde is one degree away at 25+ Sag, and the Lunar Eclipse has Mercury retro. at 26+ Sag, both events on December 21, 2010. On Saturday, January 8, direct Mercury crossed the ’87 Uranus and on Sunday Jan. 9, Mercury crossed over both the solstice and eclipse chart’s Mercury. This might reference the lack of coverage by U.S. media, and did I read somewhere that there was a media blackout in Tunisia itself?
One last tidbit, Mars at 19 Libra 08 is sextile Saturn at 19 Sagittarius 12 in the ’87 chart. Transiting Mercury stationed direct at 19+ Sagittarius on Dec. 30th. Transiting Saturn will station retrograde two degrees before reaching the ’87 Mars position in Libra and will not reach it until October 5 this year. I’m wondering if the transiting Mercury station on the ’87 chart’s Saturn was a significant day regarding communication, in any way in Tunisia. If so, then this chart for 11/7/87 could be a significant help in understanding the underlying energies in Tunisia and their sources.
be
Thanks, Amanda!
I didn’t realize this was such a non-story here. I don’t have cable or satellite TV out here but I do have the net, so my news is self-restricted to foreign sources such as the BBC and some German networks. Those have kept me up on the entire Tunisian revolution, and how this is not going down well with nearby Arab governments.
Our media is retreating so fast from world coverage it’s not even funny. I find that the BBC seems to be better at covering US politics and events better than most domestic outlets these days. So sad.
len – thanks for plugging in the astrology for this event! i’m still not up to speed on doing that. yay teamwork!
🙂
Amanda,
Thank you. You have a knack. Once again you have nailed a vital story. With the Capricorn Sun applying to Aquarius (sign of the collective, where Mars already is) and Jupiter at the end of Pisces leading Uranus on their way into Aries, the astrology supports your assertion that this is indeed just the beginning.