ARAB WORLD - Tunisian Assassination and Tensions in Egypt

"Assassination in Tunisia Sparks Outcry; Tension Continues Over Morsi in Egypt" (Part-1) PBS Newshour 7/26/2013

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  In Tahrir Square, tens of thousands of Egyptians rallied to support the military's ouster of former President Morsi, who may face new charges.  Islamists also held demonstrations where some fighting led to deaths.  In Tunisia, thousands protested the assassination of leftist politician Mohamed Brahmi.  Margaret Warner reports.

"Egypt, Tunisia Find Trouble With Transition to Democracy Despite High Hopes" (Part-2) PBS Newshour 7/26/2013

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Margaret Warner joins Judy Woodruff to discuss the latest unrest for Egypt and Tunisia and how both countries have faced major challenges in establishing inclusive, pluralistic democracies.

Significant excerpt

MARGARET WARNER (Newshour):  Well, my theory is that, when you have had people live under oppression for decades and decades, where no rival political parties are, if allowed to exist, not flourish, or in the case of the Brotherhood and the Islamists, they're in jail, in hiding, or in exile, and then suddenly the boot is taken off their neck, they have no experience in politics.  They have no experience in governing.

And it's not in their sort of social, cultural, political DNA to understand that democratic government actually involves give-and-take and trusting, that if your rival happens to be on top, he's not going to use it, he's not going to use the power to impose absolute power, because, after all, that's what they have all experienced.

I talked to Marwan Muasher today, a former foreign minister of Jordan, a big thinker about moderation in the Arab world, and he said, what connects these two is that the commitment to pluralistic democracy is really skin-deep.  Neither the seculars nor the Islamists really believe in inclusion.