Why did the protest movement in Tunisia succeed and didn’t in Algeria? Almost the same demographic makeup, almost the same economic situation (though they are poorer than us in the aggregate), and both countries have an authoritarian regime. Well, the answer has to do with the role and the importance of a civil society. In Tunisia, the protest movement has been organized, channeled and guided by a vibrant and omnipresent civil society. A Tunisian civil society composed of associations of lawyers, women's organizations, student unions, and faculty associations. These organizations have played the role of social movement organizations and mobilized, organized, and kept the protest movement vibrant until Ben Ali stepped down. Our civil society in Algeria is nonexistent or dormant. Our protest movement is therefore disorganized, non-represented and anarchic, which make it highly inefficient. Dr. Moncef Marzouki's website: www.ihenu.org