In Tunisia
I am embarrassed at how little I knew about Tunisia. We had planned this as a very quick stop between Morocco and Turkey, and I hadn’t focused on any of the facts about the country, about where we are staying, or anything. I knew that Tunisia is a small country, wedged between Algeria and Libya, with a lot of Mediterranean coast line. I also knew that my former employer has a medium-sized manufacturing facility in a south coast town called Sfax. Aside from this, embarrassingly little.
Based on what we have read in the last two days, and based on our initial impressions, Tunisia is an inspiring success story. On a per-capita GDP basis, Tunisians are 2-3x better off than Moroccans. Tunisia ranks near the top for all African countries on the indices for human development, for competitiveness, and for quality of life. The infrastructure we have seen (roads, railways, airport, telecommunications) are all very good. Although Tunisia does not have a lot of natural resources, the agricultural, manufacturing and tourism sectors are strong.
Again, based on what little we have seen, the weather and the scenery are also very beautiful. The town where we are staying, Sidi Bou Said, looks out over beaches and mountains, and over the pale blue of the Mediterranean. The soft light has inspired generations of painters.
Tunisia is stable, safe, and well organized. This raises a question about politics and civil society. Since gaining independence from France in 1956, Tunisia has had exactly two leaders: the current president has been in office since 1987. It is probably best described as “democracy within boundaries.” The prime minister and cabinet, and the bicameral parliament, have considerable power and autonomy, but the president makes the important dcisions.
By all accounts, both presidents have ruled for the benefit of the people, and have done an outstanding job of promoting development, and building the nation. It isn’t clear to what extent (if at all) that personal freedoms have been subjugated to accomplish these objectives.
We are going off to explore Carthage this morning, and to look around Tunis as well. It is wonderful to be in Tunisia, and we look forward to learning more in our short time here.