Africa Notes: Tunisia: A New Beirut? - May 1988

May 4, 1988

Of all the news accounts of the forced retirement in November 1987 of Tunisia's octogenarian President Habib Bourguiba, a November 10 commentary in the Financial Times (London) best summarized the facts and nuances: "Although the new Tunisian president, [former Prime Minister Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali], holds the rank of general in his country's army, it would be wrong to regard what happened in Tunis as a military coup ....