How To Avoid Usual Stagnation In Modern Revolutions

What You Need To Know:

✓ Stagnation in a revolution occurs when the opposition and civil society are no longer free
✓ The biggest achievement in Tunisia's post-revolutionary history is its the Constitution because people were actively involved in writing and voting for it
✓ The fact that a large number of foreign fighters in Syria come from Tunisia is the result of Ben Ali's regime of corruption

Tunisian revolution is moving to success, according to Lilia Weslaty, a Tunisian journalist. Though many people are feeling disappointed it is because their expectations were so high but the country needs more time, explained Weslaty.

Stagnation in a revolution, according to Weslaty, occurs when the opposition and civil society are no longer free. As civil society and the opposition in Tunisia are working freely, the revolution can be seen as still being in process, said Weslaty.

In January 2011, the country's long-term President President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was ousted after a month of popular protests over corruption. Since then Tunisia has experienced several changes of power, albeit peacefully relative to many countries in the Arab world. In the 2014 Tunisian elections, the secularists triumphed over the Islamist Ennahda party. According to Weslaty, the only reason people previously voted for the Islamists was because they believed that as Muslims, they would not steal.

For Weslaty, the biggest achievement in Tunisia's post-revolutionary history is its the constitution. The people themselves were very active in voting for it and writing it. For instance, when Ennahda proposed that the constitution should include an article that women compliment men, even veiled women complained that they wanted equality and fair constitution.

According to Weslaty, the fact that a large number of foreign fighters in Syria come from Tunisia is the result of Ben Ali's regime. According to her, terrorists are the result of marginalization: a bad economy, a bad social justice system and a lack of culture.

Hromadske International's Nataliya Gumenyuk and Ian Bateson spoke with Lilia Weslaty on June 7, 2015.