A Blog by the Editor of The Middle East Journal

Putting Middle Eastern Events in Cultural and Historical Context

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Tunisia Dissolves the RCD

Only days after abolishing Tunisia's State Security, a court has decided to dissolve the formerly ruling Constitutional Democratic Rally (RCD), the former all-pervasive party of Ben Ali, and liquidate its assets. On a day when, by contrast, clashes between thugs and demonstrators in Cairo's Tahrir Square suggested the old Egyptian State Security apparatus is still holding on, the abolition of the RCD meets another of the demands of the Tunisian revolutionaries.

1 comment:

David Mack said...

At least, the mob in the streets has not yet demanded that all former RCD members be banned from future political life. The memories of de-Baathification in Iraq should be fresh enough to remind us of what a disaster that would be. If memory serves, 2 million of the 10 million Tunisians belonged to the official party.

At a program of the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy today, a visiting Tunisian delegation said they were asking the US government for a modest $2 billion dollars to revive their economy, arguing that it would be a great victory for Arab democracy and warning of disaster for US interests if we did not prove to be generous. I would not want to be the Obama Administration official who defended such a request before the House Appropriations Committee. Several of us suggested they take their request to the EU in Brussels.