How did the world get Tunisia so wrong?

Major feature.

How did the world get Tunisia so wrong? Zein al-Abidine Ben Ali was not just another Arab autocrat – he was a star in Europe, a leader admired for developing the economy and maintaining stability in the face of religious extremism in the Maghreb.

Now that he has fallen in January 2011, driven away by a popular uprising sparked by protests at unemployment and corruption that no government saw coming, uncomfortable questions will no doubt be raised.

The finger-pointing has started in Paris, by far the biggest backer of Mr Ben Ali’s dictatorship. Soon it could reach the European Union, a leading partner, which ignored the cause of human rights and democratisation enshrined in its trade agreement with Tunisia.

EEAS: Republic of Tunisia http://www.eeas.europa.eu/tunisia/index_en.htm

ESO: Background information: 'Jasmine Revolution' jolts EU's north Africa strategy http://www.europeansources.info/record/jasmine-revolution-jolts-eus-north-africa-strategy/

Le Monde, 20.1.11: After Tunisia, rethinking the Med (via PressEurop) http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/469941-after-tunisia-rethinking-med

Spiegel Online International, 25.1.11: Tunisian Revolution Forces a Rethink in Europe http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,741521,00.html

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