FINANCIAL TIMES: Zein al-Abidine Ben Ali was not just another Arab autocrat – he was a star in Europe, a leader admired for developing the economy and maintaining stability in the face of religious extremism in the Maghreb. ..
One western diplomat says it was known several years ago that Leila Trabelsi, the former hairdresser turned first lady, was not only facilitating her family’s own enrichment, but also hoping to succeed her husband as president.”..
Also engaged in this unfortunate case of wishful thinking were the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, whose programmes and regular reporting were full of praise for the regime’s economic record, rarely touching on the corruption that infested the system…
For international organisations and foreign governments, the most important lesson of the revolt is that stability cannot be achieved with economic reforms in a repressive political system… (more)
