And it began with the Quartet calls for a national dialogue. “Congratulations to Tunisia, to the quartet and to all parties in that facilitated the mission of the quartet”, the toil union’s secretary general, Houcine Abassi, told Radio Mosaïque FM.
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Amna Guellali, Tunisia and Algeria Researcher for Human Rights Watch stated that it would send a “message of hope” noting that many challenges still lie ahead for Tunisia. As such, the Nobel Peace Prize ought to be perceived by Tunisians as a form of encouragement to continue establishing a lasting democracy.
“The Arab region is on fire, and this puts Tunisia in a much deserved spotlight”, said Kristina Kausch, the head of the Middle East Program at Madrid-based think-tank FRIDE.
Ultimately, Ben Ali was forced to step down and fled the country.
“Tunisians in [poorer communities] have been made a lot of promises by the worldwide community…and very little has changed for people on a tangible level”, she says.
“Tunisia has no other solution than dialogue despite ideological disagreements”, the 88-year-old said in a video posted on the presidency’s Facebook page. He founded Nobel Peace Prize Watch in 2014.
In Tunisia, the winners rejoiced.
The person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.
The United Nations chief said the award also belonged to the Tunisian people.
“At least a few good news after a lot of bad!”
The Arab world has shown a sort of democratic boldness and it will be impossible now to silence it – areas of freedom have been created despite the repressive logic. Student Jaber Majeri, 22, was dismissive. Our people did not rise out of indulgence or because they were manipulated by outside forces, but exactly to end the indulgences of dictatorship and the interferences of foreign powers.
Watch shop manageress Safia Shabani agreed.
El Baradei, who served as the Director General of the agency from 1997 till 2009, shared the prize with the U.N.-backed organization for their joint efforts in promoting the peaceful and safe use of nuclear technology and their efforts for preventing nuclear energy from being used for destructive purposes. The world’s first immediate reaction seemed to be, “Who?”
“After the revolution, we entered an economic recession”, said teacher Habib Barhoumi. The Arab Spring, with all of its failings and failures, exposed the lie that if we are to live then we must live as slaves.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee’s decision to award the 2015 Peace Prize to the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet comes as a welcome surprise.
It was because of these talks that Tunisia was able to avoid civil war, draft a new democratic constitution and successfully conduct free elections.
Tunisians held their first freely contested presidential election last December; it was won by 88-year-old Beji Caid Essebsi of the secular-leaning Nidaa Tounes party.
But tearing down the old order is always easier than building the new. “And now it’s really the only country in the region that remains on a path to democracy”. One happened this past June, when 38 people were killed when a gunman attacked a hotel.
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“We are living in hard times”.
