Round table on "Events of Tunisia: transformations and prospects"
The Ibrahim Abu Lughod Institute of International Studies in collaboration with the Faculty of Law and Public Administration at BZU organized on 26 January 26 2011, a round table entitled "Events of Tunisia: transformations and prospects", in which Dr. Jean-Paul Shaniolo, Professor of political science at the University of Cergy-Pontoise in France, and Dr. Saleh Abdel Jawwad, Dean of the Faculty of Law and Public Administration at BZU have participated, while Dr.. Raed Bader, Professor of History, at BZU, chaired the session. The round table was attended by a number of BZU professors and staff, as well as graduate students and students of the Faculty of Law and Public Administration.
The round table focused on the events of Tunisia, marked by the fall of the Tunisian regime and the flight of "Ben Ali", as a result of popular, spontaneous and unexpected protests. In which the opposition participated at a later stage. The participants discussed the army's role in these events and its contribution to the success of this popular revolution, and to what extent it is impacting other Arab countries.
Dr. Shaniolo addressed France's relations with Tunisia during the Ben Ali's regime, in terms of its historical role in the Arab Maghreb, pointing to the prevailing policy in France, which is based on supporting the existing regimes in the Arab countries, despite their monopolization of power and the clear violations of human rights and freedoms. He noted to the French Government's stand towards the Tunisian spontaneous revolution, visualizing the impact of this change on the relations between Tunisia and France in particular and the European countries in general.
Dr. Saleh Abdel Jawad, reviewed some aspects of the Tunisian case, trying to answer a number of questions, such as the possibility of change in the Arab regimes that are similar to Ben Ali's regime, commenting on the form of the expected participation of Islamists in the political life in Tunisia.
