AP Photo
In early January of 2011, Tunisian dictator Zine el Abidine Ben Ali greeted a young athlete named Oussama (Ous) Mellouli in Tunis and lauded him as a national hero. Mellouli, then 26, had just finished the world swimming championships in Dubai, where he nailed gold in the 1500-metre freestyle and two silvers.
The Arab Spring, born in Tunisia, was well under way and Ben Ali was playing for a propaganda boost. But the brutal dictator needed a lot more than TV shots of him shaking hands with a swimming star with an easy smile to raises his fortunes. About a week later, on Jan. 11, Ben Ali, his life in danger, stuffed his jet with treasure and fled to Saudi Arabia.
Today, Mellouli is needed again to boost the national psyche. Tunisia has had democratic elections,...
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