Tag: Tunisia

Promoting political pluralism in the Middle East

     

Puritanical Salafist Muslims have attacked Sufi shrines and communities across the Arab world in a campaign to spread their influence. But in Tunisia, where national history and identity are intimately… Read more »

Tunisian unrest symptomatic of healthy democratic evolution

     

Some view Tunisia’s recent demonstrations and the government’s response as a dire warning that the end of the country’s experiment with democracy is near, notes Safwan Masri, the author of… Read more »

Tunisia protests highlight trade-off between democracy and strong economy?

     

One person has died, 50 policemen have been injured and more than 200 people arrested in two nights of widespread and violent protests across Tunisia, driven by anger over steep price… Read more »

Stepan, Turkey and Islam’s democratic compatibility

     

The emergence of an “upstart populist party” like the Alternative for Germany (AfD) has been facilitated in no small part by a widespread fear that Islam and democracy are incompatible,… Read more »

Is Tunisia’s democracy being derailed?

     

Over the course of just one week, the Tunisian government has made three concerning moves that, taken together, signal a major backsliding in its democratic development, Carnegie analyst Sarah Yerkes writes… Read more »

Corruption, poor economy, illiberalism threaten Tunisia’s exceptionalism

     

Poor economic conditions and corruption are at the source of intense public dissatisfaction in Tunisia, according to a new poll by the International Republican Institute’s (IRI) Center for Insights in Survey Research:… Read more »

Disgust over corruption threatens Tunisia’s trajectory, MENA stability

     

Armed with banners, placards and cigarettes, dozens of protesters gathered in the Tunisian capital Tunis on Sunday for the first-ever demonstration of its kind – the right not to fast for Ramadan. Popular perceptions… Read more »

Disaffection leaves Tunisians vulnerable to violent extremism

     

Marginalized Tunisians are vulnerable to radical, often violent ideology in part because they believe they lack viable, nonviolent means of alleviating grievances, according to a new report. Public opinion research… Read more »

‘Secularizing Islamists’ – lessons for countering violent extremism

     

The experience of the Islamic political parties in North Africa shows that they are, just like non-Islamic parties, capable of change and adaptation to changing circumstances, says Mohammed Masbah, an… Read more »