Hitchens makes a case for the Tunisian dictatorship. The country is, after all, a relatively healthy place for women and an inhospitable place for Islamists. On a weak base, it features a relatively thriving economy. It has the great merit, Hitchens points out, of not being Algeria, let alone Libya. Points taken, if not being the rest of Africa is a compliment.
I’m not competent to know all of what Hitchens fails to observe, but the following lines of his caught me up short: “you can say for Tunisia that people do not lower their voices or look over their shoulders (another thing that has made me nervous in my timne) before discussing” the dictator, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
It sounds outrageous, but I would like to see it before commenting myself.
It does sound outrageous. My extensive experience of Tunisia is that people are seriously afraid of the secret police, and often look around them when talking on sensitive matters. I wonder whether he mentions that many people are too frightened to go to their local mosques and pray. Though I never pray myself, that strikes me as an intolerable restriction, not so unlike the Soviet Union. He may try looking at the Tunisian press too, which is comparable to that of Ceausescu’s Romania. I remember one headline in the state press – “The Apotheosis of Ben Ali”. Sick government, sick country.
And Hitchens has the great advantage of not being a perceptive writer at times. This goes hand in hand with the White House annointing Tunisia as a “model” for the Middle East. Whatever one thinks of the FIS and the GIA (and for the record, I dispise them), the FLN’s hamfisted treatment of the first round of elections plunged Algeria into one of the most devastating civil conflicts of post-colonizaltion and resulted in teh death of perhaps the only man, Boudiaf (the anniversary of his death was June 15), who could have helped Algeria realize the promise of the revolution.
Hitchens is one of leading members of the “anything-but-the-Islamists” crowd. I have the article but haven’t read it yet, but wouldn’t be surprised if Hitchens choose to become an apologist for a secular dictatorship. Will try to look at it today.
I’m surprised anyone would reccomend Tunisia as a model for the Middle East. Economically yes – it has done some great progress but politically?!
Ben Ali doesn’t even try to hide the fact that elections are rigged (winning an election with 99% of the vote IS impossible). Not to mention the various constitutional amendements done in order to secure his position in power…
I am all for secularity – but not at the extent of damaging freedom of conscience.
And what about the ever present portraits (reminiscent of Ceausescu) which litter Tunisia! I’ve seen portraits EVERYWHERE – in the hotel lobby, in offices, shops, on buildings, in restaurants, at the airport…
Hitchens used to be a proponent of hard-core communism, then he became a neo-conservative Bush wars apologist. I think that the idea of dictatorship cannot bother him much, even if he would say that he is pro-freedom.