Traveling

For the next ten days I will be traveling to Tunisia on a working trip.  Blogging will be on hiatus for the duration, but I will be working overtime to get a better sense of the political landscape and the state of the transition.  I will be asking many questions while I'm there, and hopefully I'll be able to explore them a little once I return.  Here are a few things I'll be looking into:

• What are the most important obstacles to democratization in Tunisia?  How are activists or the interim government addressing these obstacles?
• How much does the public trust the current interim government?  Are they confident the authorities have the will and the ability to organize free and fair elections?
• What are the defining characteristics of Tunisian politics at this stage of the transition?
• What do Tunisians expect from their revolution?

More to come.  In the meantime, here's some light reading:

Max Boot defends "nation building" -- provocative op-ed piece in the LA Times.  I will write a full reaction to this article once I have a moment because I believe it raises some important issues.

9/11 and One Measure of bin Laden's Success from The Atlantic

Morocco's Constitutional Face Lift, breaking new ground in frustration and futility.

Why Middle East Studies Missed the Arab Spring; @GregGause -- not exactly.  Many people saw it coming, a few even warned other people.  Still a very thoughtful and interesting article.

The Baby and Baath Water from BBC's Adam Curtis.  A brief introduction to a fascinating and often overlooked period of Syrian history.