<p>State Department spokesman P J Crowley today said that Tunisians were well aware of the graft, nepotism and lavish lifestyles led by ex-President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his family long before the WikiLeaks website published the diplomatic cables.<br /><br />Crowley said in a Tweet that the Tunisian people alone are the catalysts for the uprising that saw Ben Ali flee the country on Friday.<br /><br />Many commentators have suggested that the blunt assessments of Ben Ali and his family contained in the leaked cables contributed to discontent over high unemployment and the poor economy that fomented the revolt.</p>
<p>State Department spokesman P J Crowley today said that Tunisians were well aware of the graft, nepotism and lavish lifestyles led by ex-President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his family long before the WikiLeaks website published the diplomatic cables.<br /><br />Crowley said in a Tweet that the Tunisian people alone are the catalysts for the uprising that saw Ben Ali flee the country on Friday.<br /><br />Many commentators have suggested that the blunt assessments of Ben Ali and his family contained in the leaked cables contributed to discontent over high unemployment and the poor economy that fomented the revolt.</p>