Greetings Expats,
I’ve only lived in Tunisia for 6 years so I may be out of line for saying this but I would dare say this is the worst Ramadan in Tunisia’s history.
A month of bad news…and to think that this may actually be the calm before the storm.
Watching from afar
Although I am technically on vacation and trying my best to stay away from the media stream, each day I find time to review the situation in Tunis. Not only are things not going well but the truth of the matter is that the fate of Tunisia (at least for the short term) looks very negative.
A terrible month for Tunisia
Expat tirade
It drives me crazy when people use death casualties as indicators to assess the safety & security of a country. At a recent dinner party I actually heard someone say: “Well it can’t be that bad because people aren’t being killed…” Are you kidding me?! (OK…got that off my chest…)
On the other hand, expats will return back to Tunisia look around and see the beautiful blue sky. They will go to the market and see things working relatively well. They will go to dinner parties and comment how things aren’t that bad…
While I would agree with that assessment I would also point out that most people use archaic & ineffective methods to judge the safety & security of a country. The safety & security of a country is not measured by gun shots, car bombs, kidnappings, or death tolls. Where are our standards?
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs teach us that people are empowered to connect, contribute, and thrive only when their physiological & safety needs are met at a high level.
Challenges Ahead
A recent analysis of the situation in Tunisia stated: “The interim government now faces the question of how many blows its provisional authority can sustain before public patience runs out.” (Stratfor)
I would humbly state that we are now witnessing the end of that patience and the beginning of a new and very challenging period in the history of Tunisia.
Let’s hope for the best and be ready for the worst.
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