Tunisia Hit With Third Terrorist Attack This Year | 30-Day State of Emergency In Place

From Anne's FB page

I want to share my FB friend Meriem's beautiful photo and say that -- while I will continue to fly the French flag -- I applaud her gesture.

With several FB friends from Tunisia, please know that I am terribly concerned about your country. Being deeply involved in Sudan for years and knowing what can happen when a blossoming society -- whose women are among the most progressive and educated in Africa -- is co-opted and redefined by fundamentalist forces, I am fearful for my friends in Tunisia.

Tunisia was hit today with its third terrorist act this year, killing at least 12 people, wounding 20 members of the presidential guard, and prompting the president to declare a 30-day state of emergency. The Tunis airport has been closed, along with tourist sites.

The attack was carried out by jihadists. Thousands, according to the NY Times, of Tunisian citizens have traveled to Iraq and Syria to join ISIS.

My FB wall reported on two earlier attacks in Tunisia this year. The Islamic State carried out an attack at the Bardo National Museum in March, killing 22 people. In June, 38 people including 30 British tourists were killed at a beach hotel in Sousse.

Thank you Meriem for reminding us of the terrible challenges faced by the people of Tunisia, under assault by terrorists seeking to undermine their beautiful country. You are a symbol of compassion and intelligence whatever flag you are flying, and I regret that you may change it too often in today's world. I see where this is going, so be sure to tag me in the future. ~ Anne.

Related: Want to Beat the Islamic State? Help Tunisia Foreign Policy

Military victories over the Islamic State’s fighters will  help to destroy their image of macho invincibility. But if we really want to defeat ISIS for good, ideas must triumph. Societies must have ideological alternatives they can believe in. 

Luckily there is such an alternative. It’s called Tunisia.

Despite long odds, Tunisia (pop. 11 million) has emerged as the Arab Spring’s lone success story. Tunisians have stuck to their hard-won democratic institutions despite considerable political and economic turmoil. The Islamist Ennahdha Party has played a crucial part in this success by demonstrating its willingness to share power with its ideological opponents and allowing genuine political competition. The Nobel Committee’s decision to bestow its latest Peace Prize on four groups with prominent roles in the country’s democratic transition has lent international recognition to the Tunisians’ achievement.