Tunisia: Recent Developments and Policy Issues

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Civil society actors that have helped to organize the current wave of protests appear aware of the need to keep pressure on the government to develop a more comprehensive strategy for inclusive growth.

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These actors also have the support of opposition political parties , such as the leftist Popular Front and the centrist Republican Party. On the side of the government there is also reason for optimism. Although the government did initially revert to repressive tactics and sought to portray the demonstrators as rioters, there are reasons to believe that a drift towards authoritarian is not inevitable.

Tunisian politicians have proved capable of putting the transition above parochial interests and infighting whenever the country has seemed close to the precipice. In , when Tunisia was thrust into a political crisis, governing political elites were able to act in the interest of the country and allow a technocratic government to take the helm and restore confidence in the transition. This same spirit could avert a deterioration of the situation in the current circumstances. Establishing a technocratic government, as some are calling for , will not in itself be enough to address the problems at the root of the current unrest.

A critical step in implementing the provisions of the new constitution is establishing the constitutional court. Progress also needs to be made towards greater decentralization following the municipal elections in March.

If carried out effectively, decentralization could help ensure that the voice of the people is heard and met at the local level. Communication and collaboration between political parties and leaders at the national level and civil society and younger populations across the country will also improve public perception that the government is interested in listening to and addressing the needs of the people. Taking advantage of the opportunity in the aftermath of these protests will boost confidence in the transition and avert further instability.

As the last few years have demonstrated, free and fair elections are not enough; they need to work for the people. The Global Observatory provides timely analysis on peace and security issues by experts, journalists, and policymakers. It is published by the International Peace Institute. The views expressed here represent those of the contributors and not IPI. The International Peace Institute is an independent, international think tank located in New York, Vienna, and Manama, dedicated to the settlement and prevention of armed conflict. Subscribe to our newsletter: About the Global Observatory The Global Observatory provides timely analysis on peace and security issues by experts, journalists, and policymakers.

The most immediate result of the protests was seen in increased internet freedoms. As a date was announced for an election in mid-July , more than , protesters continued to demand the removal of Ghannouchi as interim prime minister. Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi's government asked Saudi Arabia to extradite Ben Ali saying that "following a new batch of charges against the ousted president regarding his involvement in several serious crimes aimed at perpetrating and inciting voluntary homicide and sowing discord between the citizens of the same country by pushing them to kill one another.

In mid-February , about 4, mostly Tunisian refugees landed on the Italian island of Lampedusa , causing the authorities to declare a state of emergency [] that would allow for federal aid to the island. Interior Minister Roberto Maroni accused the EU of not doing enough to curb immigration and asked them to do more. Until now the system of patrolling the coasts of Northern Africa has worked and we want to re-establish the technique, which had reduced illegal immigration to zero until a month ago.

By 14 February, at least 2, refugees had been sent to Sicily with the other 2, quarantined at a re-opened holding centre. In response Italy declared a humanitarian emergency. The International Organisation for Migration said that no new boats had been spotted.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that "not everyone who does not want to be in Tunisia can come to Europe. Rather, we need to talk to each other how we can strengthen the rule of law in Tunisia again and whether Europe can be of help. Following Ghanoucchi and two other Ben Ali-era ministers resigning, the bourse was again suspended.

Many governments and supranational organisations expressed concerns over use of force against protesters. France, the former colonial power of Tunisia, was one of just a few states that expressed strong support for the Ben Ali government prior to its ouster, though protests were held in solidarity with Tunisia in several French cities and the French Socialist Party voiced support for the popular revolution. The protests and resultant political crisis have generally been called the Jasmine revolution' only in the foreign media.

The lack of coverage in the domestic state-controlled media was criticised. York alleged the "US government—which intervened heavily in Iran, approving circumvention technology for export and famously asking Twitter to halt updates during a critical time period—has not made any public overtures toward Tunisia at this time. Despite criticism about the "sparse" level of coverage and "little interest" given to the demonstrations by the international media, the protests were hailed by some commentators as "momentous events" in Tunisian history.

Al Jazeera believed the ousting of the president meant the "glass ceiling of fear has been for ever shattered in Tunisia and that the police state that Ben Ali created in when he came to power in a coup seems to be disintegrating", though it added that Ben Ali's resignation, following his statement that he had been "duped by his entourage" may not entirely be sincere. The revolt in Tunisia began speculation that the Tunisian Jasmine Revolution would lead to protests against the multiple other autocratic regimes across the Arab world.

The phrase appeared in outlets such as the BBC , [] as well as editorials by well known columnists Rami Khouri [] and Roger Cohen. Larbi Sadiki suggested that although "conventional wisdom has it that 'terror' in the Arab world is monopolised by al-Qaeda in its various incarnations", there was also the fact that "regimes in countries like Tunisia and Algeria have been arming and training security apparatuses to fight Osama bin Laden [but] were [still] caught unawares by the 'bin Laden within': The winds of uncertainty blowing in the Arab west — the Maghreb — threaten to blow eastwards towards the Levant as the marginalised issue the fatalistic scream of despair to be given freedom and bread or death.

If it suffers a setback we shall witness unprecedented repression by rulers struggling to maintain their absolute grip on power.

Tunisian Revolution

Either way, a system that combined a starkly unequal distribution of wealth with the denial of freedoms has collapsed. Similarly, Mark LeVine noted that the events in Tunisia could spiral into the rest of the Arab world as the movement was "inspiring people LeVine then accused the Obama administration in the United States of double standards when Clinton was in the region meeting with political and civil society leaders; however, she responded to a question about the protests, saying "We can't take sides", which was read [ by whom?

Pointing out Clinton's remarks about regimes whose "foundations are sinking into the sand" and needed "reform", LeVine argued that US foreign policy in the Middle East and the Muslim world was "equally in danger of sinking into the sands if the President and his senior officials are not willing to get ahead of history's suddenly accelerating curve.

Robert Fisk asked if this was "The end of the age of dictators in the Arab world? He also pointed out that the "despot" Ben Ali sought refuge in the same place as the ousted Idi Amin of Uganda and that "the French and the Germans and the Brits, dare we mention this, always praised the dictator for being a 'friend' of civilised Europe, keeping a firm hand on all those Islamists. He thinks "this is going to be the same old story. Yes, we would like a democracy in Tunisia — but not too much democracy. Remember how we wanted Algeria to have a democracy back in the early Nineties?

Then when it looked like the Islamists might win the second round of voting, we supported its military-backed government in suspending elections and crushing the Islamists and initiating a civil war in which , died. No, in the Arab world, we want law and order and stability. Blake Hounshell wrote on Foreign Policy. There is something horrifying and, in a way, moving about these suicide attempts. It's a shocking, desperate tactic that instantly attracts attention, revulsion, but also sympathy. The use of communication technologies, and the Internet in particular, has been widely credited as contributor to the mobilisation of protests.

Other regional regimes were also on higher alert to contain spillover effects that may ensue. On 11 March , Reporters Without Borders gave its annual award for online media freedom to the Tunisian blogging group Nawaat. Founded in , it played an important role rallying anti-government protesters by reporting on the protests which the national media ignored.

Bouazizi's actions resonated across the region, with many others across the Arab world following suit. In January , the BBC reported: The Egyptian people and the Egyptian public have been following the events in Tunisia with so much joy, since they can draw parallels between the Tunisian situation and their own. After the beginning of the uprising in Tunisia, similar protests took place in almost all Arab countries from Morocco to Iraq , as well as in other states, ranging from Gabon to Albania , Iran, Kazakhstan , United States , India and others.

Following weeks of protests , Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak resigned on 11 February. Major protests against longtime Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi broke out on 17 February and quickly deteriorated into civil war , ultimately resulting in the downfall of the Gaddafi regime later in the year. Syria experienced a major uprising of people calling for the removal of President Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian uprising also deteriorated into a civil war , giving rise to the militant group, ISIS , and partly causing the current refugee crisis.

In addition, Yemen , Bahrain , and Algeria have seen major protests. However, a financial analyst in Dubai suggested that "the spillover effect of the political turbulence to the large countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council is non-existent as there are no similar drivers. The day after the congress was due to be carried out, clashes between security forces and party supporters in Kairouan resulted in one death amid attempts to disperse those who wanted to carry out the events.

The Tunisian president, Beji Caid Essebsi, renewed the state of emergency in October for three months due to previous terror attacks. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Part of a series on the. Umayyad — Abbasid — Aghlabid — Fatimid — Zirid — Norman — Almohad — Hafsid — Ottoman — Husainid — International reactions to the Tunisian revolution.

Tunisia portal Human rights portal. Retrieved 23 November Retrieved 9 March Retrieved 8 June Associated Press via FoxNews. Retrieved 13 February Retrieved 7 February Reform or be overthrown, US tells Arab states amid fresh riots". Retrieved 14 January Retrieved 29 December The New York Times. Retrieved 23 January Retrieved 26 January President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali forced out".

People Power topples Ben Ali regime". Retrieved 11 February Nobel Media AB Retrieved 9 October Ben Ali flees as protests spread in Tunisia". Retrieved 8 February A Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia". Archived from the original on 11 December Retrieved 7 December Retrieved 28 January The end of an era Al Jazeera Blogs".

Retrieved 15 January Retrieved 15 February Retrieved 17 May Barack Obama mentioned me in a speech. He said I was a cop. He said I slapped Mohamed Bouazizi. He's a stupid fool for not checking. Americans are great people, but you need to do a better job of checking your information. Tunisia blocks site reporting 'hatred' of first lady".

Background

Retrieved 20 December Retrieved 26 December Retrieved 31 December Several wounded in Sidi Bouzid as demonstrations against unemployment turn violent". Retrieved 25 December Retrieved 1 March Aggredita la troupe del Tg3" in Italian. Retrieved 12 January Retrieved 28 December Archived from the original on 10 March Retrieved 30 December Retrieved 9 September Cyber war mirrors unrest on streets". As it happened on Monday".

Archived from the original on 17 January Retrieved 28 October Archived from the original on 30 January Archived from the original on 16 February Archived from the original on 19 January Archived from the original on 20 November Violence As New Govt Announced". Archived from the original on 20 January Retrieved 20 January New government leaders quit ruling party".

Retrieved 19 January Archived from the original on 25 May Retrieved 22 June

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