Word: bourguiba
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...message has been hammered home in recent weeks, as Tunisians mark a historic date: the 20th anniversary of the coup that brought President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali to power on Nov. 7, 1987. Educated in France and the U.S., Ben Ali was Prime Minister when he ousted Habib Bourguiba, the founder of modern Tunisia. Today, celebratory billboards around Tunis hail the 71-year-old Ben Ali, often pictured wearing his ceremonial sash and medals...
DIED. HABIB BOURGUIBA, 96, Tunisia's liberator from French colonial rule in 1956, and the nation's pro-Western President for Life until a 1987 bloodless coup; in Monastir, Tunisia. He modernized his country and promoted women's rights and moderation toward Israel...
...Bourguiba's ouster was a sad finish to a remarkable career. He led his country to independence without the bloodshed that accompanied the French withdrawal from neighboring Algeria. Deeply pro-Western, he succeeded in transforming Tunisia from an underdeveloped backwater into one of the most prosperous nations in Africa. But in recent years the "supreme combatant," $ as he was known, had become increasingly impulsive and autocratic. Amid a worsening economic crisis, he refused to take steps to ensure an orderly transition, despite his deteriorating health. He banned opposition parties and dissolved trade unions. Last year he divorced his wife...
Schooled as an electrical engineer, Ben Ali received military training in France and in the U.S. Director of military security from 1958 to 1974, he became Interior Minister in 1986. According to Western diplomats, Ben Ali shrewdly avoided becoming a victim of Bourguiba's purges by convincing the President of his loyalty. "He managed to cultivate that 'I am your son' image," said one diplomat. Starting last summer, Ben Ali gave speeches to the party faithful in an attempt to build support and shed his reputation as a military...
...Western as Bourguiba, Ben Ali may discover that his promise to restore political freedoms will be difficult to keep. His main challenge will be Islamic fundamentalism, the chief opposition movement in the country. Ben Ali displayed sound judgment when he reportedly intervened to prevent mass executions of the militants convicted in September. "He recognizes the danger of going too far," said one Western diplomat. An acknowledgment of limits will be an asset if Ben Ali is to succeed as the second President of the troubled North African nation...