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Tunisia is in the midst of a historic change in government. In January, the country's president of 23 years, Zine el-Abidine Ben AU, was ousted following massive protests. The country's army played a pivotal role in the revolution by refusing to fire upon demonstrators as ordered by the president. Tunisia's interim goverment now prepares for the country's first free elections this July.
Tunisia is one of the smaller nations of what Arabs call the Maghreb (literally the west), which also includes the nations of Morocco, Algeria, Libya, and Mauritania. American policy makers typically refer to the area as North Africa. Despite Tunisia's size, it packs the potential to be among the most constructive allies in the war on terrorism as well in playing a role in peacekeeping operations. Yet, little has been written about Tunisia's armed forces and how that nation views itself historically and militarily.
In 1996, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Tunisian armed forces, the Tunisian National Defense Ministry commissioned a large hardback edition titled Al-Jaysh Al-Tunisi (Tunisian Armed Forces - Dar-Alif Printers, Tunis City, author unknown). This 190-page book filled with colorful illustrations is not a critical self-analysis of the Tunisian military or even an in-depth discussion on regional security, which is sorely needed particularly after the dastardly attacks by militant Islamists in Casablanca, Morocco and the synagogue in Djerba, Tunisia. The book, however, exposes interesting and little known facts about what the Tunisian armed forces has accomplished as well as where it hopes to see itself in the future. This article will discuss aspects of this book, which is published in both Arabic and English (sideby-side) and is not only recommended for students of the Middle East, but for members of the U.S. military who are looking for English and Arabic texts to compare and practice their intermediate or advanced Arabic language skills.
As a military officer with a passion for military history, this book was attractive because it covered the Punic Wars, Hannibal, Jugurtha, Kasserine Pass, and the Algerian war of independence in addition to recent peacekeeping operations. It is interesting to note that Tunisians are proud of not only their Arab roots but also their ancient heritage, which brought such military masterpieces as the Battle...