Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
1 to 10 of about 79
Until conditions allow for the right combination of elements to help the country reverse course, the United States and the international community must use consistent, behind-the-scenes support to make sure Tunisia does not sink deeper into autocratization.
President Saied’s seizure of power has been a major setback for Ennahda. He capitalized on widespread anger at Ennahda by blaming it for much of the failure of Tunisia’s governance since the 2010-2011 Revolution.
Hollowed out by corruption and mismanagement and buffeted by adverse economic conditions, authoritarian governments in the Middle East are struggling to deliver the socioeconomic benefits that once pacified their publics.
The crisis in these marginalized border areas is likely to perpetuate social instability.
The region might be better served from a recommitment by the US and Europe, which might offer palpable inducements of development aid linked to reforms. But with Western governments focused on their own domestic spending plans and Covid-19 recovery, it is more likely that continuing Chinese funds and outreach will further entrench Beijing’s influence in the region for the foreseeable future.
As the countries around it descended into civil war or regressed into authoritarianism, Tunisia held free and fair national and local elections, adopted a liberal-democratic constitution, and witnessed a peaceful transition of power.
Tunisian President Kais Saied dismissed Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, who had served less than a year in office. Removing Prime Minister Mechichi from power was only one of several steps President Saied took to consolidate power and address what he saw as an urgent, emergency situation.
By dismissing the parliament and removing his political rivals from power, Tunisian President Kais Saied has set Tunisia on a path that is likely to end in further instability and potential bloodshed.
Tunisia, the Arab world’s only free country according to Freedom House, is mired in three simultaneous crises that have the potential not only to undermine the country’s progress since the 2011 revolution, but also to plunge it into a deep national dysfunction.
While Tunisia has made noteworthy progress in its counterterrorism efforts, much more work remains to be done in the qualitative aspects of these efforts if progress is to be sustained.