The Tunisian experience is important because it provides an indication of how things might turn out in other countries affected by the Arab Spring.
First, the much-promised and much-dreaded Islamist tidal wave has failed to materialize. Ennahda won around 40 percent of the vote, meaning that nearly two-thirds of Tunisians (in a country that is 99 percent Sunni Muslim) voted against the Islamist brand.
Ennahda’s failure to win an outright majority is significant. It was the election’s biggest spender, largely thanks to the vast sums Saudi Arabia reportedly pumped into its coffers.
I have concerns. But the concerns are reason to stay involved and not assume ultimate defeat and pine for the days of friendly dictators.
Our own revolution could have been hijacked if George Washington had heeded the wish of some Americans to become our first king. And that was only the first problem we avoided to establish a real democracy--problems we've had to overcome to times within living memory that made sure rule of law applied to all of our people.
Thank goodness Americans in the 18th century didn't throw up their hands at all the problems we had to face in favor of monarchy that would have betrayed the hopes of revolution. Let's give the Arab Spring the same chance.
