Nobel Peace Prize 2015: The success of Jasmine Revolution

Growing up, from my readings of the Tales from the Arabian Nights, I knew that over the rainbow, beyond the oceans, hills and plains, across the deserts, mountains and towering dunes - sandwiched between Algeria and Libya, there was a dreamland called Tunisia, on the Mediterranean. From the early days of the Arabian Nights to the medieval Islamic time, the dictators in the Arab world have continued to live a life of pomp and luxury, like king Shahryar of Persia. They were surrounded by viziers and knights in the palaces of shining marble and gold, and the glory spread from Baghdad, Amman, Tunis, Tripoli and Cairo to Damascus.

Some of the Middle Eastern and North African countries, including Egypt and Libya, had dictators for more than three decades. They overstayed in power and had remained out of touch with their increasingly frustrated and irate young population.

In 2011, the Arab Spring changed all that. The subsequent revolutions in the Middle East and some of the North African countries, namely the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia - the days of the Arabian Nights are almost over and done with. Only exception is the Syrian ruler Assad who is refusing to give up power in a country ravaged by civil war.

In January, 2011, in the town of Sidi Bouzid, an unemployed 26-year-old Tunisian college graduate, Mohammed Bouazizi had no other choice but to become a street vendor. Police had seized his fruits and vegetables stand because he had no license. Distraught, he set himself on fire and later died. He was not a psychopath, but a youth who had seen enough of tyranny.

Bouazizi's death became the launching pad of the upsurge of protests that swept through the Arab world and beyond. His death gave rise to Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia.

Bouazizi can be held up as example because of his self-immolation. His sacrifice paved the way for others to protest against the conditions he and others had to live through in Tunisia. In a way, Bouazizi's death enhanced Tunisia's prestige in the eye of the world as it became successful very quickly in restoring democracy and for saving Tunisia from a dark record of oppression.  

The fall of one-party ruler Zine Al-Abidin Ben Ali ignited a hope in the rest of the Arab world for a future of democracy. Now, Tunisia is calling the rest of the world to follow its path and to leave behind the burden of wartime brutalities and to choose democracy in the nations where peace has been destroyed by the consequences of civil war.

Bouazizi became an icon to a nation full of determined and indivisible young men and women who dedicated their lives with passion and sincerity to fight for their rights and to establish democracy in Tunisia.

That fight has paid off big time for the Tunisians, as 2015 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the National Dialogue Quartet as the Norwegian Nobel Committee decided to reward Tunisia "for its decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011."

The Quartet was formed in the summer of 2013 comprised of "four key organisations of Tunisian civil society" as it sought out an alternative when democratic process was failing due to a huge number of assassinations and destabilising social unrest in the immediate aftermath of the revolution. The Quartet saved the nation from going into a civil war for years.

Before the Quartet, Bouazizi's death had unfolded and galvanised a nationwide protest that spread like a wild fire. A short-term normalcy had returned to Tunis, but things were very uncertain. The new unity government had shortened the curfew hours and people slowly were going back to work as uncertainties were looming in the horizon and people were not sure what the future has in store for them.

During that tumultuous period, in Arab countries, young men and women were protesting against humiliation, hunger and poverty. The youth group was opposing by taking part in rallies and by saying 'no' to corruption and 'no' to autocracy. The Arab youth unrest that had erupted in Tunisia had spread to Yemen, Egypt, Algeria, Jordan, Libya and Syria.

The poorest of Arab nations got tired of struggling and waiting for a regime change. People were suffering because of unemployment; they were losing their patience. In the Middle East, others tried to imitate Bouazizi.

What had happened in Tunisia in 2011 was a "pivotal moment in history."After 18 terrifying days of the uprising, Egypt's long-standing dictator had stepped down. Inspired by the Jasmine Revolution in Tunis, thousands of Yemeni youth had started the Pink Revolution. Thousands more had sung patriotic slogans as an allusion to the Jasmine and the Egyptian Revolution.

Before the rise of Jasmine Revolution, sixty per cent of the population in Tunisia was under thirty years old. Many Arab countries, including it, had offered very little for their young population. With high unemployment, there were not enough jobs to go around for the university graduates. They were not involved in active politics. Mostly they were a desperate group trying to get out of their countries. Majority of the wealth was concentrated in the hands of a few wealthy families.

Youth unemployment was viewed by social analysts like a 'bomb' that was ready to explode. They had no possibilities of getting better jobs, and were forced by poverty to take part in questionable activities to earn an income. They had felt excluded from society, their self-esteem was low, and a bright future was unattainable for the majority of them. A lot of the unemployed youth had started to adopt a certain ideology and become suicide bombers.

The Tunisian Quartet soon took charge of the political process as uncontrollable violence had started. There were marchers on the street demanding all the corrupt government officials be fired from their posts. The massive demonstrations were quivering long-standing oppressive regimes in the Arab world. Many reports by the political analysts had confirmed that the revolution in Tunis wasn't expected until it had happened.

The unfolding of events had affirmed that the pseudo-stability based on repression over democracy will not be tolerated anymore. In a country like Tunisia or in the Arab world in general, the young are now a force to be reckoned with.

The formation of the Quartet changed all that. Tunisians  have shown a nation can resolve unrest by keeping dialogue open between different political factions where the civil society can play a major role in refurbishing democratic ideals. Since Ben Ali's departure, Tunisia after a period of chaos became a model to be used as an example in the region. The Tunisians attained a specific goal of restoring democracy because Jasmine Revolution had succeeded without huge costs in terms of loss of lives and major economic disruption. They achieved all that by keeping alive the spirit of the Jasmine Revolution.

Some big think tank people argue that the creation of the National Constituent Assembly was a "wrong decision." Others counter that the technocratic government treated everyday Tunisians as citizens, not subjects.

Three years after the Jasmine Revolution, in January, 2014, the long-awaited Tunisian constitution was approved. A care-taker technocrat cabinet was formed and a fresh democratic election took place at the end of 2014.

The 88-year-old Beji Caid Essebsi, a former minister in Ben Ali's administration, won Tunisia's first presidential election, with 55.68 per cent of votes. Hundreds of thousands youth took to the streets in protest but soon accepted him as their elected leader when he had won by a clear margin. It was widely believed that because of his experience, he will move Tunisia forward. In his acceptance speech he dedicated his victory to the martyrs of the Jasmine Revolution.

The Tunisian Revolution proved that, under popular demand for democratic governance, dictatorships that had lasted for decades can be toppled.

Initially, there were reservations among experts whether the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt were going to change the fate of the rest of the Arab world. Seeing what has been happening in Syria, many think it is too premature to put on the dancing shoes. Be that as it may, from Tunisia's case we have realised that such uprisings are not really based on social and political movement, but triggered by spontaneous reaction. This is a change that had to happen.

The Arab youth, whether they were living in Jordan's refugee camps or in shanty towns, encircled by wealthy people's' communities, or risking their lives to migrate to Europe got weary of waiting for something to happen.

The Egyptians ousted Hosni Mubarak and the Libyan rebels got rid of Muammar Gaddafi. They were feeling charged up along with the youth in Yemen, Sudan and Syria. The Arab youth now are not going to sit around naively for the genie to appear with Aladdin's magic lamp, nor do they believe that governments are going to change if they play the patience solitaire card game. Hundreds and thousands are leaving Syria in search for a better life away from tyranny.

The award of the Nobel Peace Prize to the National Dialogue Quartet acknowledges the success of the Tunisian model under which all members of a society can live and work together and enjoy equal rights and freedom. For the rest of the Arab world it can be a guiding light in changing the status quo for the Arab world where they can take tangible steps in transitioning towards genuine democracy so that they have an opportunity to work and live a life of freedom and enjoy socio-economic status.

Tunisia will be the torchbearer in getting rid of autocracies as it has transitioned into a peaceful democracy. This could mean an end of political repression, torture and fake elections in the rest of the region. The inspiring example of Tunisia, now with the glory of winning the Peace Prize, will bring a momentous change in Arab politics.

Zeenat Khan is a US-based freelance writer.

[email protected]