November 14, 2014
A Big Step Forward: Tunisia’s Fragile Democratic Consolidation
Those in Washington still hopeful about the positive potential of the 2011 Arab uprisings should celebrate Tunisia’s successful October 26 legislative elections. By all accounts, the elections were an unprecedented success compared to regional standards: they were competitive, well managed and involved a high national turnout rate (69 percent). The incumbent party, Ennahda, was narrowly defeated. Indeed, the contestation of power is thriving in Tunisia four years after a vegetable vendor set himself ablaze to protest the indignities of the oppressive dictatorship.
It is important to savor—and study—this fall’s rare moment for optimism in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Since 2011, the rest of the region’s political transitions have been overwhelmed by violence and civil strife; whether in Syria, Yemen, Egypt, Libya or Iraq, there has been a paucity of democratic progress across the region.
Read full article at The National Interest.
More from CNAS
-
Reset, Negotiate, Institutionalize
Reports
Since the start of the Arab revolutions five years ago, the Middle East has experienced unprecedented instability. In such an impossibly fluid situation, the initial response ...
By Ilan Goldenberg
-
Can Obama Save the GCC Summit?
As President Barack Obama and the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) sit down at Camp David this week, the White House’s goal is clear: reassure America’s Middle Ea...
By Ilan Goldenberg, Nicholas Heras & Shawn Brimley
-
Dr. Dafna Rand before Senate Committee on Armed Services on U.S. Middle East Policy
Deputy Director of Studies Dr. Dafna Rand testified before the Senate Committee on Armed Services on U.S. Middle East Policy....
By Dafna Rand
-
Transcript: Managing, Ending and Avoiding Wars in the Middle East
What I'd like to do today is to lay out the specific variables that are engendering conflict in the region, and that will continue to do so over the five- to 10-year time fram...
By Dafna Rand
