Will Tunisia's First Local Elections Advance its Democracy?

Will Tunisia's First Local Elections Advance its Democracy?

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

By: USIP Staff

It has been over seven years since Mohamed Bouazizi’s protest sparked an uprising that led to the overthrow of longtime Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and spread throughout the Middle East. While the promise of the early days of the Arab uprising has evaporated throughout much of the region, Tunisia has continued its democratic transition in the face of economic and security challenges.

Type: Analysis

Democracy & Governance

How Can U.S. Better Help Tunisia to Curb ISIS Recruitment?

How Can U.S. Better Help Tunisia to Curb ISIS Recruitment?

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

By: USIP Staff

As Tunisia last month celebrated the 2011 overthrow of its dictatorship, thousands of young Tunisians protested in streets nationwide, often clashing with police. Young Tunisians widely voice an angry despair at being unemployed, untrained for jobs, and unable to build futures for themselves. The single democracy to have arisen from the Arab Spring uprisings is undermined by the feelings of hopelessness among many youth, and by their exploitation by extremist groups linked to ISIS and al-Qaida. To help Tunisian, U.S. and other efforts to build hope for Tunisia’s youth, a small, USIP-funded project is measuring which kinds of programs are actually effective.

Type: Analysis

Violent ExtremismYouth

Tunisia: Democratic but Precarious

Tunisia: Democratic but Precarious

Friday, December 22, 2017

By: James Rupert

Amid central Tunisia’s dry farmlands, the city of Sidi Bouzid bustled one recent day under warm autumn sunshine. Street vendors and shoppers jostled under the roof of a new, open-air market, selling and buying produce or cheap clothes. Seven years after an impoverished street vendor in this city immolated himself and ignited the Arab Spring revolutions, his homeland has achieved a precarious stability. By many measures the Arab world’s only democracy, Tunisia remains hobbled by corruption, unemployment and violent extremism.

Type: Analysis

Democracy & GovernanceViolent Extremism

Negotiating Civil Resistance

Negotiating Civil Resistance

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

By: Anthony Wanis-St. John ;  Noah Rosen

Reviewing the literature on negotiation and civil resistance, this report examines the current divide between the two and digs deeper to identify the fundamental convergences. It builds on these findings to illustrate why negotiations and negotiation concepts are essential to the success of civil resistance campaigns. Using historical examples, it then examines the dynamics of negotiation in the context of these strategic domains. 

Type: Peaceworks

Nonviolent ActionMediation, Negotiation & Dialogue

USIP’s Work on the ISIS Threat

USIP’s Work on the ISIS Threat

Monday, April 17, 2017

The U.S. Institute of Peace has operated on the ground in Iraq since 2003 and in Afghanistan since 2002, as well as in Libya, Nigeria, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen. As a small, agile institution, USIP works with local leaders and the U.S. government, including the military, to stabilize areas devastated by ISIS, end cycles of revenge, and address the root causes of radicalization, including corrupt and abusive governance.

Type: Fact Sheet

Violent ExtremismConflict Analysis & Prevention

Aid Remains Key to a Counter-ISIS Plan, Tunisia Says

Aid Remains Key to a Counter-ISIS Plan, Tunisia Says

Thursday, March 16, 2017

By: Fred Strasser

As the Trump administration prepares an international conference to shape strategy against ISIS, the plan should include economic aid to undercut extremist recruitment, Tunisia’s foreign minister said March 14. Financial help is essential to help nations at risk, such as Tunisia, offer jobs and futures for unemployed, disillusioned youth, Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui told an audience at USIP.

Type: Analysis

Violent ExtremismDemocracy & GovernanceFragility & Resilience