Introduction

Abstract

On 14 January 2011, Tunisia’s long-time dictator Zine El-Abedine Ben Ali fled the country after a month of massive street protests calling for “the downfall of the regime”. The uprising had started in the impoverished interior of the country, after street vendor Mohammed Bouazizi immolated himself to protest the confiscation of his street cart in an event that symbolized the population’s despair and anger over unemployment, corruption and policy brutality. Since Ben Ali’s departure, Tunisia has been steadily treading a path to democracy, despite frequent setbacks and turbulence.