As Tunisia nears the sixth year of its 2011 popular revolution, the most challenging question is whether these massive protests led to a real change in the lives of the people. Although democratization could not come overnight, the unique successful transition in the Arab World, as it is thought of by many leaders in the U.S. and Europe, is undergoing complex challenges within Tunisia’s political, economic, and social system, making instability the main feature of the country’s transition.
Terrorism and the overall security environment have now trumped the economy and other issues, efforts aimed at reforming institutions did not benefit from the new democratic context, and the state’s capacity to deliver for its people is continuously challenged. However, on the path to democratic transition, the bumps in the road are more akin to a persistent problem of legitimacy, rather than just an institutional crisis. The overall picture of Tunisia’s revolution is somehow mitigated, offering a contrast between a troubled transition and the real potential to be realized.
Weak institutional reforms
Politically, the institutional architecture as designed by the new Constitution ratified in 2014 revealed inadequacies in the system of government. If Tunisia was successful in adopting a modern democratic constitution and organizing free and plural elections, then building institutional governance structures became the real difficulty in a context of extreme fragility due to security, economic, and social pressures. Instead of anchoring public policies within the defined template of freedom, transparency, and rule of law, the orientation of the political system was enclosed in institutional behavior inherited from the early autocratic era.
The reform trend has also not advanced. The reform track, whether institutional (i.e. security and justice reform), economic (i.e. banking and investment reforms) or social (i.e. youth employment, social security) is inconsistent with the citizens’ aspirations of freedom, security, and social justice. Confusion, frustration, and an overwhelming feeling that the revolution has lost its fundamental values and aspirations is prevailing among citizens. Failure to address corruption and the lack of accountability has further weakened the state’s capacity to guarantee stability and deliver social justice and economic opportunity.
As state authority is continuously questioned, the government has the prime responsibility to work together with all components of Tunisian society to correct structural problems in the political system that sideline too many people, especially the youth, who are exposed to the risk of radicalization by terrorist and criminal related organizations.
In short, building new institutions and strengthening capacities is unlikely, especially in this challenging environment. However, what can be done is to develop a new type of management in different vital sectors that matches the democratic transformation of the society. The challenges underline, at the same time, the need to overcome the crisis of leadership and governance in Tunisia in order to preserve this fresh democracy.
Need for security changes
Improving security is a top concern for the Tunisians and continues to be a key priority for its partners (U.S., E.U.). While the general feeling among citizens is a significant improvement of operational capabilities of the military and security forces on the ground, one obvious objection, common across the security sector, is that the process of reforms is not aligned with the principles of democratic control, good governance, and rule of law.
Furthermore, in such a volatile environment, the local and regional risks posed by the return of Tunisian fighters from Syria and the pressures on State security apparatus remain extremely high. Efforts to secure the borders and crackdown on extremist groups or combat smuggling activities across the borders are also overwhelming the country’s ability to address high priority problems, like economic development, employment, and education.
The current ‘achievements’ on the ground will not hide serious structural dysfunctions within the system and the overall need to readjust Tunisia’s security capabilities. Threats and enemies are changing their form and modus operandi. For example, social media is a growing challenge, not only to security but to political stability as well. The security implications of violent extremism through these kind of recruiting platforms are very high and cannot be addressed by security agencies alone.
National programs and initiatives should build on government-civil partnerships to protect the youth, provide them a truly human response to their anxiety, and restore the sense of belonging to the community on an equal basis, mainly in the interior regions, far from the wealthy coastal cities. Many local campaigns have a better capacity to spread the message of solidarity against intolerance and hate much further and wider. These should be supported.
Such an approach can only be achieved if the security institutions go through an important organizational change. However, strengthening Tunisia’s security cannot be done in a way that undermines freedom, economic development and justice.
Security sector reform is contingent upon a number of conditions. These include avoiding the political exploitation of security reform by all stakeholders, drawing up a national strategy for security sector reform, conducting regular reviews and evaluations of the security sector, and rationalizing international support to the security and military institutions by promoting respect for human rights, transparency, and accountability.
The potential is real
Despite bumps in the road, the potential of Tunisia’s democratic transition remains real, but citizens need to see some gains from the revolution. A positive vision is the most powerful thing you can offer in times of profound doubts. The state needs to make more fundamental changes. Deregulating strategic sectors so entrepreneurship will foster development, taking the risk to push for real reforms in the security and justice sector, empowering citizens – mainly the youth – and searching for credible voices both internally and internationally. These are all keys to the revolutions long-awaited success. The national unity government, just appointed few days ago, will have the difficult task of reconciling Tunisian people with the desire to build a free and democratic society.
