TUNIS // The US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, stepped into the cradle of Arab revolution yesterday, meeting Fouad Embazza, Tunisia's interim president, and other leaders to pledge support for democratic reform even as anti-US protest simmered in downtown Tunis, the capital.
"The revolution created so many hopes and now we have to translate those hopes into results and that comes through economic reform and political reform," Mrs Clinton said yesterday while touring Red Crescent offices in Tunis, Agence France-Presse reported.
Such reforms, however, when coupled with burgeoning Tunisian nationalism, present the United States with a tricky balancing act: supporting democratic transition without appearing to meddle in it.
John Entelis, the director of the Middle East Studies programme at New York's Fordham University, said: "Whether they can maintain that balancing act as things go forward is a big question. There is opposition to Clinton's visit, as you'd expect in an increasingly democratic society."
Hundreds of demonstrators had gathered in the main promenade of central Tunis for the past three days to protest against Mrs Clinton's visit, which they have described as US interference in Tunisia's home-grown revolution, which ousted the president, Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, in January. The government has promised elections in July to select a commission to draft a new constitution; for now, restrictions on free speech and political life have already been lifted.
Tunisia is Mrs Clinton's third and final stop on a tour this week to voice US support for North African revolts that have inspired similar calls for democratic reform across the Arab world.
On Wednesday, Mrs Clinton met Egyptian leaders and toured Cairo's Tahrir Square, the scene of weeks-long protests last month that toppled the former president Hosni Mubarak, who ruled Egypt for three decades.
"To see where this revolution happened and all that it has meant to the world is extraordinary for me," Mrs Clinton told reporters as she walked through the square.
Protests began in Tunisia in December after a Tunisian vegetable-seller named, Mohamed Bouazizi, set fire to himself after years of harassment by local authorities.
Those protests spiralled into calls for the departure of Mr Ben Ali, who abruptly fled the country in January after 23 years in power.
Within weeks of his ouster, Tunisian publishing houses issued titles such as The Revolution of the Brave, available in Tunis bookshops. Graffiti and political posters have rebranded a roundabout in central Tunis to commemorate the revolution; a film biopic of Bouazizi is in the works.
Such pride sometimes translates into mixed feelings towards the United States, viewed by many Arabs as a democratic model at home whose foreign policy interests have often run counter to democratic aspirations abroad.
"I'd like exchange of people and culture, but nothing at the political level," said Azyz Amamy, 28, a pro-democracy blogger detained for his writing during the final weeks of Mr Ben Ali's rule. Mr Amamy has long harboured scepticism of US foreign policy, which deepened with the televised spectacle of US soldiers marching through Baghdad after the invasion of Iraq in 2003. "I'll never erase that image from my mind."
However, Mr Amamy will also never forget Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook, an online tool that proved instrumental in powering Tunisia's revolution by allowing activists to get around state controls on media.
Mr Amamy wants to see more US investment and people to people exchanges, and aspires to launch a Tunisian edition of MAD Magazine, a satirical cartoon-based periodical headquartered in New York.
For her part, Mrs Clinton said the US would offer several hundred million dollars in economic aid to help Tunisia create badly needed jobs, and pledged yesterday to send delegates to an international donors conference expected in the coming months.
"We want to know what Tunisia wants. We don't want to come in and say here's what the United States believes," she said, according to Agence France-Presse.
Mr Entelis said enhancing economic and cultural exchange is an opportunity for the US "to demonstrate that not all foreign relations - especially in the Middle East and North Africa - have to be about security."
jthorne@thenational.ae
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
THREE
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Nayla%20Al%20Khaja%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Jefferson%20Hall%2C%20Faten%20Ahmed%2C%20Noura%20Alabed%2C%20Saud%20Alzarooni%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Moonfall
Director: Rolan Emmerich
Stars: Patrick Wilson, Halle Berry
Rating: 3/5
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Company%20profile
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JOKE'S%20ON%20YOU
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FIXTURES
Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan
The top two teams qualify for the World Cup
Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.
Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place play-off
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Tori Amos
Native Invader
Decca
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PRO BASH
Thursday’s fixtures
6pm: Hyderabad Nawabs v Pakhtoon Warriors
10pm: Lahore Sikandars v Pakhtoon Blasters
Teams
Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Abu Dhabi Stars, Abu Dhabi Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs.
Squad rules
All teams consist of 15-player squads that include those contracted in the diamond (3), platinum (2) and gold (2) categories, plus eight free to sign team members.
Tournament rules
The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.
Company profile
Name: Fruitful Day
Founders: Marie-Christine Luijckx, Lyla Dalal AlRawi, Lindsey Fournie
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2015
Number of employees: 30
Sector: F&B
Funding so far: Dh3 million
Future funding plans: None at present
Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
Veil (Object Lessons)
Rafia Zakaria
Bloomsbury Academic
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
UAE central contracts
Full time contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ahmed Raza, Mohammed Usman, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Sultan Ahmed, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid
Part time contracts
Aryan Lakra, Ansh Tandon, Karthik Meiyappan, Rahul Bhatia, Alishan Sharafu, CP Rizwaan, Basil Hameed, Matiullah, Fahad Nawaz, Sanchit Sharma
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
