This past Saturday, Tunisians returned to the streets to celebrate the first anniversary of the ouster of President Ben Ali. Tunisia’s current, democratically-elected leader, President Marzouki, declared January 14 a national holiday and granted pardons to 9,000 prisoners and commuted 122 death sentences. The series of protests that ended Ben Ali’s 23-year reign, largely motivated by widespread unemployment and large gaps between the rich and poor, also inaugurated the Arab Revolution. Gordon Gray is the U.S. ambassador to Tunisia. He talks about the pride that Tunisians feel with their role in helping the country emerge as a democracy. Also, what challenges lie ahead for the country.
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