Self-Immolation, Social Media, and Tunisian Strife

The recent riots throughout Tunisia were provoked by many things, such as the self-indulgent behaviors of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, socio-economic discontent, and old-fashioned corruption. The ultimate trigger, however, was the suicide of a desperate 26 year-old man, Mohammed Bouazizi, who set himself on fire because his fruit stand had been confiscated by the local police. His act of self-immolation unleashed the anger of middle-class, and college-educated Tunisians, who face rampant unemployment, while the now-former President Ben Ali enjoyed a ultra lavish life-style.

For almost a month now, Tunisia has been flooded by rioters in rural areas and in the streets of Tunis, who are calling for political reform and accountability. Riots were organized via various social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Tunisian bloggers. In addition, many of the protests are being documented by videos posted online, prompting more action and unrest. At least 78 Tunisians have died, and 100 have been wounded in the protest, often due to police violence. The demonstrations, however, have been effective in toppling the regime: Ben Ali has fled to Saudi Arabia, more than five ministers from makeshift unity government stepped down, and there are calls for Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi to resign.

While Tunisia is the current powder keg, there is a single flame uniting these protests in Tunisia with the the rest of the Arab World: the target of political despotism. Indeed, protesters from Jordan to Sudan have been activated by the demonstrations in Tunisia, though often in self-destructive ways. As of January 17th, five more North African men have set themselves ablaze, two in front of their respective parliament buildings. These self-immolations have taken place in Egypt, Algeria, Mauritania,Tunisia, and the common thread is the brief and fleeting relationships these countries have had with democracy. According to an Al-Jazeera article, "Tunisians, many other Arabs are frustrated by soaring prices, poverty, high unemployment and systems of rule that ignore their voices." Indeed, an Egyptian group is organizing a protest via Facebook for January 25th, to fight against "torture, poverty, corruption and unemployment."

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http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/19/world/africa/19tunis.html?pagewanted=1&hp

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/01/20111179413130528.html