Modern Tunisia: A Democratic Apprenticeship / Edition 1

by Andrew Borowiec

Overview

How did Tunisia succeed in eliminating the threat of militant Islamic fundamentalism? Borowiec examines the actions, which begin with the removal of the senile President Habib Bourguiba in 1987, known in Tunisia as the change. Today, while its next door neighbor, Algeria, is in the midst of an upheaval threatening modernization and a secular government, Tunisia is the only Muslim country to ban polygamy and to introduce state-funded contraception.

Borowiec begins by sketching Tunisia's history from the Phoenician era onward. He provides a detailed analysis of the country's Islamic movement, and then examines the efforts of Bourguiba's successor, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, to liberalize the economy, foster a Western orientation, and make education accessible to all. Interviews with leading government officials as well as educators, writers, and average Tunisians puts a human face on a process that may allow Tunisia to make the transition to become a young developed nation at the beginning of the next millennium. This book is important to scholars, researchers, and the general public concerned with events in North Africa and the Arab world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275961367
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	07/28/1998
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.44(d)

About the Author

ANDREW BOROWIEC is a foreign correspondent with The Washington Times. He has more than 40 years' experience covering key areas of the world for The Associated Press, Chicago Sun-Times, and the Washington Star. Among his earlier books are Yugoslavia After Tito (Praeger, 1977) and The Mediterranean Feud (Praeger, 1983).

Table of Contents

Foreword
Preface
Change of Guard
From Hannibal to Bourguiba
The Supreme Warrior
Fired by Islam
On With the New
A Nation in Step
Friendship in All Directions
Up to the Level
Honing a Nation
Preserving and Enriching
Into the New Millennium
Significant Dates
Ben Ali's Takeover Address
Preamble to the National Pact
Questions and Answers
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

Borowiec is a foreign correspondent for the and bases his account of the Arab, Muslim, North African country on both his personal experience and archival material the Tunisian government allowed him to access. He focuses on the 1987 change of government that ended the 30-year rule of Habib Bourguiba, who had led the country since independence, and the direction the country has taken since. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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