Tunisia Transition and Challenges

The departure of long-time President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011, in the face of massive anti-government protests, was greeted with euphoria within Tunisia and sparked opposition and reform movements across the region. Yet despite significant accomplishments since that time, Tunisians today face a wide range of challenges, including economic hardship, relatively impoverished interior, and the security implications of events in neighbouring Libya. Domestic tensions between Islamists and secularists have also burgeoned. This book explores Tunisia's transition and the future of the country and the region, with a focus on: the struggle between reformists and entrenched forces carried over from the former regime; the potential shape of the new political system; the role and influence of Islamism in the government and society; the question of how to transform the formerly repressive security services; and the difficult diplomatic balance, for the U.S. and other actors, of encouraging greater democratic openness while not undermining other foreign policy priorities.