Kais Saied’s economic experiment has failed Tunisia

On the eve of the January 14, 2011 revolution, Tunisia was neither an ideal democracy nor the economic "dragon" of the southern Mediterranean that official propaganda portrayed it as.

What happened

In practice, the "Tunisian model" was marked by serious imbalances, plenty of of which assisted spur the revolution. Regional and social disparities in the distribution of wealth and opportunities created a growing sense of injustice among sizeable sections of the population. When protests erupted after the mistreatment of a street vendor in Sidi Bouzid by municipal police officers and his subsequent suicide, they developed into a nationwide uprising that ultimately transformed the country's political, social and economic order.

The bottom line

For now, kais Saied's economic experiment has failed Tunisia remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.