Watch Tunisia

The ouster of Ben Ali went comparatively smoothly back in mid-January, but things have taken a turn for the worse. Violence broke out over the weekend, the coalition government’s interior ministry froze the activities of Ben Ali’s political party, and the White House is keeping a wary eye on developments. Which raises again the question of whether unrest will spread in the region. On the one hand, demonstrations in Jordan have been civil and Yemen’s President Saleh appears to be managing his discontented interest groups. On the other, Algeria’s opposition has called for a large rally Feb. 12.