Tunisia_AZ_MS_FL

Tunisia

**__Part I:__** A Look at the Nation [[image:http://www.goway.com/africa/afr_img/maps/tunisia_intro_map.jpg width="244" height="266" align="right"]]
-**Demographics**
 * About 23% of the population is younger than age 15
 * 98% of people are of Arab descent
 * 98% of Tunisians are Muslim
 * The literacy rate for females is 66%, and 88% for males

-**Geography**
 * About 17% of Tunisia's land is suitable for cultivation
 * Tunisia covers 63,170 square miles, and the Atlas Mountains divide the more fertile north and east from the arid south.
 * Tunisia's climate is generally mild; average temperatures range from 52°F in winter to 80°F in summer. Toward the desert, temperatures are much hotter.
 * [|Click here to view pictures of Tunisia]

-**Economic Resources**
 * Agriculture is especially important in the interior and along the Sahel coast; olives and dates are exported.
 * Other agricultural products include olive oil, grain, dairy products, tomatoes, citrus fruit, beef, sugar beets, dates, and almonds.
 * 80% of all exports go to Europe.
 * Tunisia has a well educated workforce, but unemployment remains a problem.
 * The textile industry provides jobs for thousands of laborers, as does tourism, Tunisia's main source of hard currency
 * The GDP of Tunisia is $9,400. In the United States it is $47,200.


 * -Political Structure **
 * Tunisia is a republic divided into 24 governorates.
 * Central government led by president, who is elected to five year term
 * The voting age is 18

**__Part II:__** History


- **Timeline**
 * __1945__ - Tunisia pressed for independence from France, even before the war
 * __1956__ - The independence was secured relatively peacefully
 * __1974__ - Habib Bourguiba declared president for life
 * __1987__ - Bourguiba too old to govern, so his Prime Minister, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, took over power.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">Ben Ali was accused of suppressing dissent, but he had supporters that credited him for maintaining stability in Tunisia.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">__In December, 2009,__ protests erupted over high levels of unemployment and lack of political freedoms - government's violent suppression of the protests left dozens dead.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">__January 2011__ - Ben Ali was forced into exile. An arrest warrant was issued for him, and he was later convicted of embezzling, smuggling, and other charges in absentia.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">__December 2011__ - A new government was sworn in and the parliament will now draft a new constitution.

**__Part III:__** Legitimacy of the Current Leader & Government
<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">** - ** A strong access to information law is so important to answer the demands of Tunisian citizens calling for greater transparency and accountability from their government” said Inger Andersen, World Bank Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa region of the World Bank

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The budget for 2012 has shown the current government’s will to expand its spending funds because the differences in income and general unemployment are widely seen as the key drivers of Tunisia’s revolution || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 90%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">primary health care needs of the population. || [|Click Here to have a Tour of Tunisia]
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">5 Purposes of Government ** || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">** Fulfilled/ Not fulfilled ** || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">** Evidence ** ||
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Maintain Order || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Not Fulfilled || <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">While <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="wiki_link_ext">clashes between police and protesters erupted <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">on and around Habib Bourguiba Avenue, families of the martyrs and wounded of the revolution gathered at the seat of the <span class="wiki_link_ext">National Union of Tunisian Journalists <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. The persons present at the meeting called for government medical care, and for a speedier resolution for the trials of those involved in killings during the revolution.  ||
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">National Defense || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Fulfilled || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">The National Service comes to mean: reinforcement of the integrity of the country, the consolidation of its development and equality between the citizens . ||
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Protection Of Individual Rights || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Fulfilled || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Attend carefully to the limitations of Islamist organisations in the areas of individual rights, religious pluralism, and democratic practice because it emphasised the importance of the secular nature of the state while expressing respect or understanding for the religious feelings of many Tunisians. ||
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Economic Decisions || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Not Fulfilled || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Tunisia’s government is increasing government spending.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Public Services || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Fulfilled || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There is a number of primary health care centers developed under the Health for all policy to meet the

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**__Part IV:__** Snapshot of the Current Uprising


__ **Who Revolted?** __
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Tunisians
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Followers of Habib Bourguiba

__ **Why did they Revolt?** __
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; vertical-align: baseline;">Ben Ali was elected head of the government.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Protests erupted over high levels of unemployment and lack of political freedom.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Political parties of a religious or linguistic nature are illegal.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Ben Ali is accused of suppressing dissent, but his supporters credit him with maintaining stability.

__ **How did they Organize?** __
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Habib Bourguiba, who had led the movement for freedom became Tunisia's first president in 1957.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Bourguiba, left a strong imprint on Tunisia, with achievements in education, women's emancipation, and social modernization.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">The people did not like Ben Ali, prime minister at the time, because he opposed of Bourguiba choices for Tunisia.

__ **How did the people overthrow the government?** __
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">There were reports of police obstructing demonstrators and using tear gas on hundreds of young protesters in Sidi Bouzid.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">The protesters had gathered outside regional government headquarters to demonstrate against the treatment of Mohamed Bouaziz.

__ **How did the government respond?** __
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">The government's violent suppression of the protests left dozens dead.

__ **How was the government the same or different following the revolution?** __
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Ben Ali was forced into exile in January 2011.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">A new government was sworn in parliament and will draft a new constitution.

media type="youtube" key="Z1Jkg3qFMV0" height="315" width="560" align="center"

=<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">**__Works Cited:__** =

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times; font-size: 16px;">"Tunisia." //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times; font-size: 16px;">CultureGrams Online Database: //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times; font-size: 16px;">. Web. 13 Apr. 2012. <http://online.culturegrams.com/world/world_country_sections.php?contid=1>.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times; font-size: 16px;">"AllAfrica." //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times; font-size: 16px;">AllAfrica.com: Africa: Tunisia Acts On Open-Government and Access to Information Reforms //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times; font-size: 16px;">. Web. 13 Apr. 2012. <http://allafrica.com/stories/201203291192.html>.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times; font-size: 16px;">"Tunisiaâs Complementary Budget for 2012: Future of the Fiscal Deficit in Question." //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times; font-size: 16px;">Tunisiaâs Complementary Budget for 2012: Future of the Fiscal Deficit in Question : Tunisia Live //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times; font-size: 16px;">. Web. 13 Apr. 2012. <http://www.tunisia-live.net/2012/04/09/tunisias-complementary-budget-for-2012-future-of-the-fiscal-deficit-in-question/>.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times; font-size: 16px;">"Tunisia: Democracy after Secularism - Opinion - Al Jazeera English." //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times; font-size: 16px;">AJE //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times; font-size: 16px;">. Web. 13 Apr. 2012. <http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/04/20124795440442662.html>.

"Families of the Wounded and Martyrs of the Revolution Gather against Backdrop of Clashes." __: Tunisia Live__. 13 Apr. 2012 <http://www.tunisia-live.net/2012/04/09/families-of-the-wounded-and-martyrs-of-the-revolution-gather-against-backdrop-of-clashes/>.

"Tunisian revolution." __Wikipedia__. 04 Dec. 2012. Wikimedia Foundation. 13 Apr. 2012 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunisian_revolution>.

"A Tour of Tunisia." __The New York Times__. 08 Apr. 2012. The New York Times. 13 Apr. 2012 <http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/04/08/travel/08TUNISIA-19.html>.

<span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -40px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 1951.5px; width: 1px;">"Families of the Wounded and Martyrs of the Revolution Gather against Backdrop of Clashes." __: Tunisia Live__. 13 Apr. 2012 <http://www.tunisia-live.net/2012/04/09/families-of-the-wounded-and-martyrs-of-the-revolution-gather-against-backdrop-of-clashes/>.