Tunisia was supposed to be the success story of the Arab Spring — the only democracy to last in the decade since revolutions swept the region.
Recently, after mass protests, President Kais Saied appears to be taking the reins of power for himself.
What happened? We hear from Mr. Saied and citizens of Tunisia on the ground.
Guest: Vivian Yee, the Cairo bu ... Show More
Yesterday
Sunday Special: Wicked, Good?
<p>“Wicked” was one of the biggest movies of 2024. It was culturally ubiquitous, a box office smash and an Oscar nominee for Best Picture. Now, a year later, “Wicked: For Good” arrives in theaters to finish the tale of the complicated friendship between Glinda the Good Witch and ... Show More
51m 44s
Sep 2021
Tunisia's Popular Authoritarian
This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Dr. Monica Marks, a professor of Middle East politics at NYU Abu Dhabi who has been thinking about Tunisia for almost 15 years. They discuss Tunisian President Kais Saied's recent moves to consolidate power, why Tunisians seem to support him, w ... Show More
37m 2s
Jan 2021
Why are Tunisians still protesting?
Young Tunisians are fuming.For the last two weeks, they’ve been organising protests across the country, sometimes clashing with the police. And the unrest couldn’t have come at a more symbolic time. It’s now ten years since Tunisia got rid of its long-serving President, Ben Ali. ... Show More
16m 28s
Apr 2023
Tunisia’s democracy on the brink
Tunisia in North Africa was the birthplace of the Arab Spring, a wave of popular uprisings that shook or toppled authoritarian regimes in the region. But, after a decade of fragile democracy, in 2019 a new strongman, President Kais Saied, swept to power. He directed his campaign ... Show More
49m 5s
Feb 2024
Democracy on the brink in Tunisia?
In 2011, Tunisians took to the streets against the ruling authoritarian regime. Catalysed by social media, the protests would reverberate around the world, spark the Arab Spring and lead to significant democratic reforms in the country. More recently, Tunisia’s democracy has reac ... Show More
19m 36s