A Deal in Tunisia

The last redoubt of hope for the Arab Spring is Tunisia, where democracy endures despite economic turmoil, terrorism, assassinations, and political gridlock. Things have looked bad lately, but yesterday the leaders of the main Islamic and secular parties announced a deal that establishes a caretaker government to plan new elections.

There began five months of demonstrations and political mudslinging, as the economy worsened and terrorist violence increased. “This tense political situation is conducive to terrorism,” Mr. Ghannouchi, a renowned religious scholar, said in an interview before the deal.

It was in this heated atmosphere that Mr. Essebsi threw down the gauntlet in a television interview and called on Mr. Ghannouchi to meet him and talk. “I said: ‘You are responsible for that’ ” — meaning the crisis that had gripped the country. “ ‘You have to be part of the solution. I invite you to do so.’ ”

I love that -- the world would be a much better place if people stopped stoking crises and worked harder to be part of the solution.