Monday 7 February 2011
6.30pm – 8.00pm
Room D502, Clement House, LSE
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Speakers:
Mohamed Ali, Islam Channel
Said Ferjani, Al-Nahda Party
Nadim Mahjoub, Tunisia Solidarity Campaign
Dr Michael Willis, St Antony's College
Chair: Professor Fawaz Gerges, LSE
The first weeks of 2011 witnessed the unfolding of the so-called 'Jasmine Revolution' in Tunisia, with popular protests in the national capital, Tunis, leading to the forced flight of long-time president Ben Ali, the collapse of his long-entrenched authoritarian regime, and the formation of a transitional government in its stead. Today, as 'Tunisian-style' waves of popular protest on the streets of Cairo are threatening authoritarian rule in Egypt, and popular mobilisation is emerging in other countries across North Africa and the Middle East, the fate of the ongoing transition in Tunisia hangs in the balance, with hopes for democracy accompanied by concerns about continuing restrictions on political freedom, and fears of the crystallisation of new forms of authoritarian rule. Against this backdrop, the LSE Middle East Centre has organised a roundtable discussion on the current situation in Tunisia, bringing together exiled activists from Tunisia with a leading academic specialist on democratisation in the country.
This event is open to all and registration is not required.