Tunisia: The Story of a Country That Works

A non-fundamentalist Arab nation in North Africa that borders the Sahara desert, Tunisia was praised by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan""as one of the few countries in the world that serves as an international model."" History records Tunisia as the home of Carthage and of Hannibal, the general who marched elephants over the Alps along with his army. According to Geyer, modern Tunisia is no less impressive, possessing a middle class of 80%, laws that ensure every child receives an education and an impressive women's rights record. No less than 40% of Tunisian women work, many as policewomen, diplomats, filmmakers and CEOs of major companies. Geyer sees Tunisia as""a country that works,"" and she backs this assertion by relating a series of conversations with various politicians and prominent academics. The reasons for Tunisia's success are many. There have been two presidents since 1956 whose progressive policies have worked wonders for the country's infrastructure. Foreign Minister Habib Ben Yahia cites Tunisia's commitment to maintaining a""dialogue of all the social forces in the country"" as a buffer to extremist tendencies. Student Diomande Soumaila says that the capital's university teaches students to think independently""instead of simply following the Koran and the Prophet's sayings."" Tunisia does have a dark spot, however: a record of internal human rights violations. Occasionally, Geyer's admiration for Tunisia's political leadership can jar with trite observation, such as when she writes that woman""chirped like a bird in her Berber tongue"" as if she were""a creature from some enchanted aviary."" Fortunately, such attempts at lyricism aren't overdone; Geyer's journalistic instincts win out, and the reader benefits from her good analysis of a unique country.