Tunisia's Tipping Point
 Last Friday, as I was meeting in my office in Washington, DC with Nazeh Ben Ammar, President of the Tunisian American Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Ben Ali, the now former President of Tunisia, was fleeing his country. As my guest awaited word on when the airport would re-open and Lufthansa would be permitted to return him home to his family in Tunis, we talked about his country, entrepreneurship and a new generation of youth in the Arab region. Of particular note, was his observation that perhaps the Wiki Leaks scandal might be having some unintended consequences. As relayed to me, it was revelations made in U.S. embassy cables that gave credibility to accusations of corruption at the highest level of government with young Tunisians. Such open media attention raised the public’s temperature and gave cover for the genuine public dissent that began last month. [More]
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