Hello,
I leave the article published by The European this weekend.
When good they are (30/01/1911)
public reactions that have been made since the European Union in relation to the process through Tunisia has so today (Monday 24 January ) in the diffusion of three communiques written jointly by the High Representative and the European Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy, Stefan Fule. In the first two letters of 10 and 14 January (second to Ben Ali deposed and fled the country), Ashton was limited to asking for a 'use proportionate force 'and the respect of fundamental rights. We had to wait until 17 January so that the High Representative in a third statement expressing his 'solidarity' with the 'people' Tunisia and the EU will offer 'assistance' in view of the holding of democratic elections.
Since it began, more than four weeks, the Revolution called Jasmine Union has not done a single press conference at which protesters challenged, nor any institutional statement. The strategy has been to remain 'pending' in tow see how advanced the process and feedback from countries like Italy, Spain or France, unable to turn to offer a clear position despite his interest in the area. The initial reaction has been cold, distant and rather weak.
In this situation reveals three significant elements.
The first is the feeling of a certain paralysis caused by a multitude of interests and the inability of 'hierarchical order'.
During the past 15 years the strategy for the Maghreb area of \u200b\u200binfluence has been partly to prioritize stability and develop economic exchanges, although that could include treatment with authoritarian states, corrupt and repressive. As the paper reminds us Europa451 , of \u200b\u200bthe 3,500 foreign companies in Tunisia, most under a permissive tax-almost all are from Europe (1,200 French, 700 Italian, 277 German, 208 Belgians, 88 British, 50 English ...) . In the case of relations with Spain, Tunisia is one of the leading suppliers of fruit to multinational English label distribution. The coverage rate in relation to mainland exports reached 150%, with a surplus of 350 million euros in 2009. As for the products consumed in Tunisia, most of them come Europe, like the thousands of tourists visiting the country each year.
With such levels of investment (and therefore dependent and benefit) the temptation to hide behind the principle of noninterference to ensure continuity and stability of business interests is greater. Look the other way it's always easier to bear when you know you're gaining something in return. Ben Ali was a character who had been invited, and even praised, in the highest levels of European policies and the regime was clearly going to market principles, such as human rights or freedom of association "for a few others - such as immigration control and persecution against Islamic radicalism "could have its advantages.
The second important element that emerges from the European reaction is the huge gap that existed between the terse official discourse and the degree of mobilization that has led the revolution of the Jasmine. Tunisian
The revolt has had very specific characteristics. It was a mostly young and student revolt, supported and organized almost entirely through social networks like Facebook. Precisely because it is 'spontaneous' and not visible behind an institution that could capitalize, as the organized opposition in Tunisia is in fact nonexistent, the mobilization has enjoyed an aura 'democratic' and libertarian, blessed with world leaders and with the support of groups' à la mode "as the cyber of Anonymous. While the network society and various democratic movements throughout the world have turned to young Tunisians, the European Parliament for its part has been unable to agree on any resolution in favor of the demonstrators. Unbelievable, yet significant, that the Socialist International to which the Party of European Socialists - only exclude from their ranks Ben Ali's party (RCD) on 18 January, when he and had been deposed. As incredibly Exactly the same party had signed in July 2010 a ' participation agreement' within the European People's Party. An agreement was once branded by the first Vice-Chairman of the EPP, Vito Bonsignore, of 'priority'. The fact is that while the newspapers talk about the historic character of one of the first democratic Arab riots, the European institutions and political representatives have preferred a distant speech and even at times ambiguous (who remembers the words of the French Minister Alliot-Marie calling 'quiet'?).
The third and final element is that the reaction has been the European Union and Tunisia is an example of variable geometry which applies the so-called Defense of Human Rights. "
Only a few examples. The week of Jan. 18, the full European Parliament is able to agree on a resolution against the Belarusian regime , which are considered diplomatic and economic sanctions against Lukashenko, but instead is unable to agree on any mention of support for change regime in Tunisia.
The same semester that the European Parliament Sakharov Prize is awarded to a dissenting European Commission Cuban-through nothing more and nothing less than the President Barroso in Brussels receives and meets with dictator and Uzbek President Islam Karimov . A few months after the European Commission finally pursue dismiss France to expel the Roma as a group, and not case by case, four foreign ministers (including the French Minister) signed a joint letter for show their anger and their 'strong' will 'act' to curb the recent attacks on Christian communities in Alexandria and Baghdad (which recently added the attacks in Nigeria).
Each case has its story, but seen together they show how much the Union can not always act with the same hardness or pursuing the same goals for 'Human Rights'.
In short, the Union has reacted late and wrong to riot in Tunisia, with the credibility and political cost that this entails. The speed with which it has produced the fall of Ben Ali has uncovered more virulent if it fits our contradictions and our double standards, leaving Europe portrayed (who did not remember where the plane initially flew the deposed President?).
remains to be seen how the next face stages (starting, for example by freezing the assets of the Ali family.) The EU can still play a vital role in supporting and pushing for the power of citizen revolt would lead to the consolidation of a representative structure with which to build a democratic rule of law. The dictator has fallen but the dictatorship continues there this weekend said Cohn-Bendit. With the advent of democracy in the Maghreb Europe plays much more than her abused 'principles. " React.
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