Three months ago, Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki described at the Atlantic Council the crossroads his country is at nearly four years since a landmark uprising led to the ouster of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who had ruled the North African country with an iron fist for 24 years.
“If the West does not support Tunisia, it will be the last time the West sees democracy in the Arab world for at least a century,” the interim president said.
Ben Ali was the first dictator to be overthrown in the wake of the Arab Spring, a string of pro-democracy uprisings that started in Tunisia in late 2010 and then spread to other parts of North Africa and the Middle East. But while other new regimes borne out of the Arab Spring — like those of Egypt or Libya — continue to be mired in chaos and violence, Tunisia seems to hold a firmer grasp on its own path to stability and economic development. On Sunday, it held its first-ever presidential election, pitting Marzouki against 87-year-old Beji Caid Essebsi, the former prime minister who served under two autocratic regimes.
About the authors
Russell Moll
Russell Moll is a former senior associate with Devex. Prior to Devex, he worked for SAIC where he managed and executed collaborative exercises that facilitate the exchange of ideas to improve policymaking.
Molly Andersmollyanders_dev
Molly Anders is a former U.K. correspondent for Devex. Based in London, she reports on development finance trends with a focus on British and European institutions. She is especially interested in evidence-based development and women’s economic empowerment, as well as innovative financing for the protection of migrants and refugees. Molly is a former Fulbright Scholar and studied Arabic in Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Morocco.