The wind of democratic change that struck Ben Ali’s police state in Tunisia is shifting eastward towards Egypt. After decades of corruption and mismanagement, which characterizes the post-colonial Arab regimes in general, the people of Tunisia broke down the glass ceiling that has for long hidden their voices and forced them into a submissive posture. Ben Ali justified his plan to force his countrymen into this unnatural and painful posture by stressing economic prosperity for all. It turned out that the pretense of prosperity was only guaranteed to a small group of well-connected persons around the head of state while the majority of Tunisians, particularly the younger generation, were left out in the cold.
