Mohammed Brahmi, the leader of the secular left-wing in Tunisia, was assassinated today. He led the opposition to the ruling Ennahda party which took power after the revolution in January 2011–the revolution that marked the beginning of the “Arab Spring.” There were protests in the streets after the killing, and several unions declared strikes in sympathy. The Ennahda party immediately condemned the murder, but it is not clear who was responsible. This is the second assassination of an opposition figure in Tunisia in the last six months.
The US Senate has decided that the recommendations of Senators about the reform of the tax code should be sealed for 50 years. The assumption of the rule is that many lobbies which have given campaign contributions to the Senators should not know whether their interests have been betrayed by a specific Senator. In some weird world the assumption makes sense; however, it is difficult to reconcile this procedure with a democratic system. It is a rule that also prevents ordinary citizens from knowing how their representatives define their interests. It will be interesting to see the final version of the tax code produced under these circumstances.
Japan is considering the possibility of developing an offensive military capability, a capability currently denied by the state’s constitution. Such a change would be nothing short of seismic in East Asia as virtually every other state would have to regard the development as a threatening one. Prime Minister Abe, however, is feeling politically quite strong, and the economic effects of a military buildup might stimulate the Japanese economy to a considerable degree.
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