Tunisia

On November 29th, 2022, HKS Student Policy Review Senior Editor Samriddhi Vij sat down with the former President of Tunisia Moncef Marzouki to discuss democracy in the Arab world, with a special focus on civil movements and women’s rights. 

While much of the Western world has provided legal protections for the LGBTQ community, this is not the case in most of the Islamic world.

On February 28, 2023, Ryan Zoellner sat down with Dr. Youssef Chahed (Former Prime Minister of Tunisia) to discuss world events and international relations.

In the judicial construction of contracts, ambiguities are construed against the drafter based on the canon of “Ambiguitas contra stipulatorem est.” On July 25th, 2021, the Tunisian president Kais Saied imported this technique to constitutional law by dismissing the Prime Minister (PM) and suspending the parliament chaired by “Rachid AL Ghannouchi,” the head of Ennahda […]

The 2011 Tunisian revolution that ousted a dictator and security state rule, did not only change the country’s political system, but it impacted all aspects of Tunisian life, especially for women. The most recent national election, in October 2019, brought a new independent President to power. Met with celebration, Tunisians appeared eager to start a […]

This week, European Union diplomats and Iranian representatives adopt a new mechanism to maintain trade as Iran works to comply with the nuclear deal in the face of US sanctions. Qatar’s Emir travels to Lebanon for a financial conference, pledging funds for the country’s economy and appearing to step into the Lebanese political arena. And in Tunis, Youssef Chahed leads Tahya Tounes, a party breaking from the ruling Nidaa Tounes over economic policy and political infighting.

When Tunisians took to the streets in protest in early January, the target of popular anger seemed clear: the democratically-elected Tunisian government, which had voted in December to pass the controversial 2018 Finance Law that went into effect on January 1. Most saliently, the public was becoming increasingly aware that the Finance Law was not crafted solely by Tunisia’s elected representatives – the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which has loaned Tunisia massive sums of money since 2011, contributed heavily to the legislation.

Hicham Alaoui, Visiting Fellow at Harvard’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs and D.Phil. Candidate at Oxford University, sat down with JMEPP Lead Editor Anna Boots to discuss current trends in North African politics, including Tunisia’s nascent democracy, North Africa’s unique position in the Middle East region, and ongoing protests in Morocco’s Rif.

Tunisia celebrates 160 years of constitutionalism.

Youth unemployment is a major driver of radicalization in Tunisia, which supplies more fighters to Syria and Iraq than any other country.

Former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki spoke about human rights, Tunisian democracy, and US support for Middle East dictatorships.

Six years ago, Tunisians succeeded in changing the course of history – but low trust and political participation could thwart its democratic transition.