October 02, 2017
Tunisia Passes Controversial Law, Undermining Democratic Transition
Tunisia’s parliament recently passed a controversial law effectively granting amnesty to public officials involved in corruption under the Bourguiba and Ben Ali dictatorships from 1955 through 2010. The law thus ensures impunity for the very system of government corruption that the Tunisian people sought to upend in their revolution of 2010 to 2011.
As a relatively stable, democratic country in a tumultuous region, Tunisia is critical to the United States’ efforts in North Africa to counter ISIS, reduce drug smuggling and address migrant issues. A successful and peaceful democratic transition in Tunisia would serve as a model not just in the Arab world, but for any country emerging from dictatorship. Yet many ordinary Tunisians are losing faith that the revolution can deliver on its promises of economic justice. Some Tunisians voice a reluctant nostalgia for the Ben Ali regime–mainly in response to the ailing economy and a sense of greater insecurity due to the terrorist threat.
Read the full op-ed in Lawfare.
More from CNAS
-
America’s Middle East Trap is China’s Strategic Windfall
China’s approach to any escalation in the Middle East reflects its broader strategy of free-riding on U.S. security commitments....
By Adham Sahloul
-
The Israeli-Iranian War: How We Got Here & What It Means
Israel’s strikes against Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure, as well as its key military and security leadership, shocked the world. How did we arrive here? What did t...
By Rachel Brandenburg
-
‘We Want Peace’: How Attacks Between Israel and Iran Could Impact People in NC
Retired Lt. Gen. Jack Shanahan is an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for New American Security. Shanahan provided some context on how the two Middle East countries got her...
By Lt. Gen. Jack Shanahan
-
Preventing the Next Middle East Disaster
At play for Washington in the Middle East is the opportunity to keep Russia out of the Eastern Mediterranean, Iran’s proxy network at bay, and scale back China's ambitions in ...
By Adham Sahloul