LONDON  Tunisia is struggling to get back to normal after deadly protests ousted its long-time autocratic ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali Friday. 

Stores and businesses were re-opening Monday. The Wall Street Journal’s Margaret Coker, in Tunis, told us by phone there is a concerted effort via social networks to get people out and working again.

Still, protestors were also targetted with tear gas by security forces. Citizens in Tunisia, upset about a failing economy and an oppressive government, remain worried some elements of what they call the “old regime” might still be in control.

A unity government including three opposition figures aimed at keeping things in line until promised democratic elections two months from now was announced today.   It does retain however the old government’s foreign, defense, interior and finance ministers.

One diplomatic source told us he was “cautiously optimistic” about future events in Tunisia.

Not so, other aging autocratic leaders in the region, nervous that anti-government protests might catch on in their countries.

In next door Libya, Moammar Khadafy went on State TV over the weekend  to say that he was “pained” by the toppling of the Ben Ali government, and that the “chaos” existing now in Tunisia was all a plot of the US.

What we’re also seeing is a wave of self-immolations. The trigger of the Tunisia riots was a grocer setting himself fire. He was concerned about economic prospects. He later died.

Just today the same thing happened in Egypt. Over the weekend another man set himself alight in Algeria.  While experts we speak with stress there are different circumstances in different countries, they don’t rule out protest anger “catching” elsewhere.