Lessons for America in the Tunisian Revolution

The United States and France top the map of countries welcoming the revolution of the populists in Tunisia and the overthrow of Zabin El Abidine Ben Ali, though the two countries were among the most prominent supporters of this system in years past.

The U.S. has been particularly welcoming. Indeed, strategically, there is a change in U.S. policy toward the totalitarian regimes in the Arab world. This change has been shown in two political facts: Until now, the Americans have counted Arab regimes that supported and agreed with American policies and interests as allies for decades; and second, that the Americans have begun to oppose Arab groups besides al-Qaida and other extremist organizations. The next steps taken will witness a great convergence between the United States and opponents of the Arab groups.

In practice, the lesson America can take from the Tunisian Revolution is to put pressure on extremist totalitarian Arab regimes, and this will occur through the presence of American cash ready to provide more facilities, concessions and understanding about the roles and positions of these regimes in exchange for not being abandoned by the Americans, as they abandoned Ben Ali’s regime in Tunisia. In any case, these authoritarian Arab regimes can choose to humble themselves before America or to humble themselves before their people.

This is the ethical problem suffered by the Arab political system as a whole: It has always and will continue to talk about the wisdom and necessity of compliance, and the subservience of their leaders in the face of Americans and Israelis. But this is not the system to believe in, and now there is a one-time need to compromise and deal in a realistic and fair, transparent and prudent way with the demands and aspirations of the Arab populists.

After the experience of revolution of the populists of Tunisia, the Arab system must be quick to change itself from the inside toward the development of a fair and honest citizenry, although this does not benefit the political leadership, his entourage, his family or his regime, as in the case of Ben Ali’s regime in Tunisia. It is true that Ben Ali’s regime has achieved economic development in Tunisia, but the benefits of this development went to Ben Ali and his entourage. Currently, the worst kinds of corruption in the political systems of the Arab world have been diagnosed. From the experience of revolution in Tunisia, the most educated and dedicated Americans can draw the lessons of this unique experience in the Arab region: Totalitarian Arab regimes are no longer a profitable option for the United States; they have become a burden on American interests.

This is the secret Americans will learn from the populist revolution in Tunis; after this revolution and this successful experience, the Americans will prefer to side with the Arab people for two reasons: First, that totalitarian Arab regimes are on the verge of collapse, wounded by the worsening effects of corruption that benefits only the regime and those close to it, in addition to the rising rates of unemployment and poverty among the citizens of the Arab world. It is important and vital that after the experience of revolution in Tunisia, U.S. experts in psychology and political sociology propose supporting the governments of the Arab peoples and intelligent policy, rather than supporting political regimes.

The lesson of the revolution in Tunisia is to say: yes to democracy, yes to toppling totalitarian regimes and yes to the departure of former allies of the U.S. in its leaders, because this is a clever way out. It is a way to open the Arab world to continued U.S. influence. More importantly, it would prevent al-Qaida’s recruits from taking over the Arab populace, due to the development of corruption and the possibility of repeating the populist revolution in Tunis in other Arab countries. Generally, America has funded many of the Arab totalitarian regimes. Now they need to diagnose the repercussions of corruption and decide how to deal with risks, as the Americans have done after the experience of the Tunisian revolution in their decision not to support the view of some that Arab security forces can suppress a revolution that comes out of a wave of populism due to the breadth of the tragedies resulting from the development of corruption.

After the populist revolution in Tunisia, the American message to totalitarian Arab regimes is the political conviction that American interests, national security and defense in the region have ended and faded, indicating that the development of corruption in the Arab world has become the source of a threat to U.S. interests in the region and the world. The corruption has become a source of strength to the enemies of the United States, and this is the result of the regulation of extremism and violence. Americans can no longer bear to be linked to this corruption, nor to pay a price because of the uprising of Arab populism.