After 53 years since its independence from French protectorate rule, Tunisia has advanced greatly. It boosts the highest standard of living of any Arab nation outside of the oil rich Gulf. And unlike the Gulf, the wealth of Tunisia is due to human capital. The nation has achieved a stable and well-educated middle class with a home ownership rate over 80%.

The country is also becoming more economically innovative. In 2008 it joined the EU free-trade zone, becoming the first non-European nation to do so. Tunisia has a skilled work force that is bilingual and increasingly proficient in English which will serve it well in an increasingly globalized world.

Recent news headlines, albeit nothing big, speak to the fact that the nation is becoming more technology.

[Wikipedia.]

First, Tunisia Telecom - one of the nation’s two private mobile operators - has announced that it start offering the Blackberry smart phone. A first for the nation. The Blackberry is - though no longer the #1 choice with the advent of the iPhone - a phone of the professional class. The introduction of the Blackberry in Tunisia - as TT’s CEO noted - is due to the new demand in the country; an illustration of the increasingly professional class in Tunisia.

Second, the nation has recently seen the inauguration of its second private network. Not a major feat it may initially appear, but private media is important for the further development of civil society.

And, finally, the Tunisian Central Bank has announced the introduction of a $50 Dinar note. Previously, the largest note had been the $30 Dinar [the current currency exchange rate is roughly 1.4 Dinars for $1]. A reflection that Tunisians are becoming more prosperus.

But this 53rd anniversary of independence is also a sad one: Tunisian remains autocratic. The nation has not known one day of democracy. And President Ben Ali is seeking a fourth term after already 23 years in office.

This headline deserves paramount mention on this anniversary:

The Committee to Protect Journalists urges you [President Ben Ali] on the eve of the 53rd anniversary of Tunisia’s independence from France to end an ongoing cycle of repression of critical journalists and media outlets. We ask that you abide by the commitment you have made repeatedly since coming to power in 1987 to promote freedom of expression. The last time you reiterated this commitment was in November 2008 at a rally in Tunis marking the 21st anniversary of your ascent to power.