That’s two for freedom, democracy, and the power of the people! Looks like Tunisia was NOT a fluke, and the Egyptian people were much more powerful than the pessimists predicted. Who’s next? Well, if you ask me, a village in England is missing its ophthalmologist . . .
Since Egypt eclipsed Tunisia in the press a couple of weeks ago, some of you have asked us how things are going now in Tunisia. The short answer is, great! Nearly without exception, the Tunisians are thrilled with their newfound freedom of expression, and exuberantly optimistic about a democratic future. We’ve seen fewer police and military, although they’re still around (I wasn’t here before the dictatorship fell, though. I see FAR fewer military here than I did in Syria under normal circumstances, so we could be completely back to normal in Tunisia for all I know). The curfew, which never really affected our own boring life, has by now shrunk to a (to us) completely invisible midnight-4 a.m. The Tunisian Minister of Trade and Tourism says that the state of emergency (including the curfew) will be lifted entirely within the next couple of days, just in time for the tour companies to resume normal operations. So it looks like our days of being the only foreigners in Hammamet may be numbered. And we’re O.K. with that. The camel-ride hawkers on the beach could really use another quarry.
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