Tunisia
Featured Publications & Tools
In a period of tremendous change in parts of the world, we are asking USIP leaders, from board members to senior staff and experts, to explain the effects that events abroad and here at home will have on the United States, and the contributions the Institute can and does make. Steven Heydemann is USIP’s senior adviser for Middle East Initiatives.
Read about USIP’s on-the-ground and region-specific work aimed at helping prevent conflict in the Middle East, South and Northeast Asia.
Senator John McCain sees the Arab Spring as the most consequential event since the fall of the Ottoman Empire and for the U.S., a “moment when we must clearly define what we stand for, and not just what we are against.”
Latest from USIP on Tunisia
- September 24, 2012 | Publication
Countries transitioning to democracy must change old models of organizing the police, armed services, and intelligence services, which typically were characterized by mistreatment of the public, for models that stress transparency, accountability, and citizen involvement. Yet each new government in the Middle East and North Africa must tailor its reforms carefully and patiently in order to avoid backlash among security services.
- July 10, 2012 | Publication
Based on Twitter and Facebook data gathered during the 2011 Arab revolutions, the authors of this Peaceworks report find that new media informed international audiences and mainstream media reporting, but they find less evidence that it played a direct role in organizing protests or allowing local audiences to share self-generated news directly with one another.
- June 5, 2012 | Event
The U.S. Institute of Peace, in collaboration with Vital Voices Global Partnership and the Royal Norwegian Embassy, explored the kinds of leadership that are most effective in societies undergoing upheaval and/or transition. Women leaders from Liberia, Pakistan, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Samoa and Mexico offered compelling accounts of their innovative leadership approaches in two sessions at USIP on June 5. These women, who have just been recognized as the 2012 honorees of the annual Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards, are leading change in their transitioning societies through civil society, political activities, and private business.
- May 10, 2012 | Publication
The U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) held its third annual conference on security sector governance on May 10, drawing in activists from North Africa and the Middle East as well as former U.S. ambassadors to the region to assess the political and security-sector challenges arising from the “Arab Awakening.”
Overview
In December 2010, popular protests unexpectedly erupted in Tunisia. Within the span of a month, 23 years of authoritarian rule by President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali came to an abrupt end when he fled the county, announcing his official resignation on state television on January 15, 2011. The catalyst for the uprising was a young Tunisian vendor, Muhammad Bouazizi, who later came to symbolize the grievances that gave rise to the ensuing chain of uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa, now commonly referred to as the “Arab Spring.” On December 17, 2010, Bouazizi set himself on fire to protest harassment by a local police officer and the confiscation of his only source of income, a vegetable cart.
Bouazizi’s act let loose deep-seated grievances of many Tunisians, stemming from tough social and economic conditions, government corruption, and tight-fisted security policies. Social media and extensive coverage by the Qatar-based news agency, Al Jazeera, allowed the world to watch protesters clash with security forces. Police violence left tens of people dead. On January 15, Ben-Ali announced his official resignation on state television. An interim government, headed by former Speaker of Parliament Fouad Mebazaa, was tasked with organizing elections by mid-July. Since then, a number of the original members of the interim government—including Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi—have resigned and been replaced by new members. Their resignations came largely in response to demands by protestors who saw the appointees as too close to the old regime.
- The Arab Awakening
As the dramatic events of the Arab Spring turn to the more mundane yet vital work of governance, constitution writing and peacebuilding, USIP is on the ground, bringing its unique brand of action and expertise to the effort.
Work & Analysis
On the Issues by Bob Perito | February 2012
Reforming the Security Sector in Tunisia and Libya
Bob Perito, director of USIP's Security Governance Center of Innovation, recently returned from Tunisia and Libya, where he met with police, military and government officials to examine the current status of the security sector in each country. | Read more
In the Field | January 2012
Dispatch from Tunisia
USIP’s Robert Perito, director of the security sector governance center, files this dispatch from Tunisia which is experiencing a transition to democracy from authoritarian rule. | Read more
In the Field | January 2012
The Muslim World, Poland and USIP
The Polish government makes use of USIP training to help key figures from Afghanistan and Tunisia lead their own countries’ transitions. | Read more
News Feature | January 2012
The Arab Awakening and its Aftermath: How to Shape the Path Ahead
A discussion at the Reserve Officers Association headquarters with USIP’s Steve Hadley and Carnegie’s Marwan Muasher. | Read more
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