Observations About Tunisia and Europe from Prof J. Peter Burgess

Here are some thoughtful insights about the Tunisian revolution and Europe from Prof. J. Peter Burgess’ blog (Prof. Burgess is a philosopher, political scientist and cultural historian and is currently Research Professor at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), where he leads the Security Programme):

“A completely unique conjuncture of events has brought a new wave of undocumented migration to Europe and with it a new wave of principled challenges to European responses to it.  There is widespread awareness in Europe and elsewhere of the tidal change set off by the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia. Now overshadowed by hyper-mediatized events in Egypt, the ousting of Tunisia’s longstanding president Zine el Abidine Ben Ali on January 14 was in some ways more decisive and dramatic than events in Egypt, though less networked. …  Yet while the mass manifestations of democratic aspirations in Egypt lead Euro-Americans to wipe a tear of self-affirmation, the democratic aspirations of Tunisians has quickly morphed into a security threat to Europe. Built on lofty principles, the European Union talks the talk, and is once again called upon to walk the walk of migrant and human rights. …”

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