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Recognizing Ben Ali′s outstanding qualities, the Party sent him to France to pursue his higher training as part of a group that was to form the nucleus of the future National Army. He first graduated from the Special Inter-service School in Saint-Cyr (France), then from equally prestigious schools: the Artillery School in Châlons-sur-Marne (France), and the Senior Intelligence School (Maryland, USA), and the School of Anti-Aircraft Field Artillery (Texas, USA). He also obtained a degree in electronic engineering. ″My interest in computer science″, he was later to say, ″has had a considerable impact on the way I work, giving me a strong taste for logic, rigorous analysis and long-term planning away from improvisation.″
The second stage in Ben Ali′s career was marked by a steady increase in responsibilities, due to his deep sense of duty, his readiness to listen to others, and his capacity for rigorous analysis. Prior to taking any decision, he would carefully examine the facts, analyze situations, and compare results. Summarizing this approach in a newspaper interview, he said : ″I listen, I think, I act.″ In 1964, while still a young staff officer, he created the Military Security Department which he ran for 10 years. In 1974, he was appointed Military Attaché to Morocco and Spain. He was then assigned to the office of the Defense Minister, before holding the position of Director General of National Security in December 1977. |
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