{"id":51954,"date":"2021-08-03T15:31:42","date_gmt":"2021-08-03T15:31:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wagingnonviolence.org\/rs\/?p=51954"},"modified":"2021-08-17T15:08:09","modified_gmt":"2021-08-17T15:08:09","slug":"have-faith-in-tunisians-to-defend-their-democracy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wagingnonviolence.org\/rs\/2021\/08\/have-faith-in-tunisians-to-defend-their-democracy\/","title":{"rendered":"Have faith in Tunisians to defend their democracy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<a id=\"pnTnf7dMQ612BV09tJGvsQ\" class=\"gie-single\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1234182036\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'pnTnf7dMQ612BV09tJGvsQ',sig:'WwlXd2mgp7X1z2QJKSBFdMOuq1swsoHT4R75zLR_qWw=',w:'594px',h:'376px',items:'1234182036',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src=\"\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\" async=\"\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even for a close follower of current events in Tunisia, the headlines on the night of July 25 were jolting: President Kaies Saied dismissed the prime minister and suspended parliament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shortly after the news broke, I received a message from a Tunisian colleague, saying: \u201cTunisians will never accept a return to dictatorship. We have come too far, there is a new fabric of society.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the wake of Saied\u2019s moves under Article 80 of Tunisia\u2019s Constitution, much is uncertain. However, as events progress, Tunisians\u2019 ultimate rejection of a return to authoritarianism under the president is a factor that must be given due consideration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This position flies in the face of much of the traditional media and think tank analysis, which regularly tolls a solemn bell for Tunisia\u2019s democracy. Such rhetoric usually occurs around the January anniversary of Tunisia\u2019s 2010-11 revolution, when many Tunisians\u2019 desperate circumstances perhaps feel more acute and unrest commonly occurs \u2014 and the prospects of an \u201cArab Winter&#8221; to follow the Spring at least generates a cheap headline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Graver still, back in 2013, were the declarations of an impending civil war, almost with a relishing glint of anticipation, as political party intrigue and manipulation were projected as a nationwide divide between secularists and Islamists. As a Tunisian comrade remarked at the time, \u201cTunisians wouldn\u2019t ever fight a civil war over religion. The economy maybe.\u201d Tunisian society is diverse, and then as now, cannot be straightjacketed into Saied and Ennahda camps \u2014 the latter being the Islamist political party that was the largest in the now frozen parliament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2016, I <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alkitab.tn\/livre\/9780330582117-revue-mawarid-n-21-annee-2016-trilingue-xx\/\">analyzed British broadsheet newspapers<\/a>\u2019 framing of the so-called \u201cArab Spring,\u201d finding that in the hands of the people of West Asia and North Africa, the events were commonly portrayed as signifying a reaction, failure or threat to Western notions of democracy and values. Otherwise, the Arab Spring was a label for something for the West to save through intervention, to spread liberal democracy and the ideals of the \u2018West\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I do not see how this has changed since that time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the grave economic situation compounding Tunisians\u2019 suffering, intervention through sanctions has been proposed. Regardless of the obscene death toll from COVID-19, exacerbated by the political class\u2019 mismanagement and abuse, <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2021\/07\/27\/tunisia-president-saeid-democracy-international-community-leverage\/\">withholding of vaccines<\/a> from the country has been posited as a means of exerting pressure. This would punish, at risk of death, Tunisians for the actions of a president who is now submerged in that same political class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Apparently, Tunisians <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2021\/jul\/27\/tunisia-political-crisis-greeted-indifference-streets-capital\">are now &#8220;indifferent&#8221;<\/a> \u2014 a return to the common charge against the people of the West Asia North Africa region that in the face of authoritarianism, they were feckless or apathetic. We are increasingly aware of the ways that people resist oppression on an everyday basis, often in hidden forms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seemingly, Tunisia needs to &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/2021\/07\/27\/tunisia-egypt-saudi-arabia-strongman-rule\/\">learn from its neighbors<\/a>&#8221; and see that strong men and populist leaders just don\u2019t work out. Ya Sha\u2018b [oh people], have you not been paying attention to the beacon lights of say, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/2021\/jul\/30\/the-guardian-view-on-investigating-6-january-the-truth-about-the-storming-of-the-capitol\">United States<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opendemocracy.net\/en\/opendemocracyuk\/vip-lane-led-to-systemic-bias-in-uk-government-covid-contracts\/\">United Kingdom<\/a>? In that regard \u2014 and aside from the fact my Tunisian friends are some of the most incisively insightful people I know \u2014 you might forgive them for not looking too far from home, and their own established legacy of resisting authoritarianism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Well, &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2021\/07\/27\/saied-coup-tunisia-might-not-want-democracy\/\">maybe Tunisians never wanted democracy?<\/a>&#8221; Let\u2019s be frank; some writers and publications never believed that Tunisians wanted democracy since Ben Ali was bungled into his plane on January 14, 2011.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The legal technicalities of whether this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/opinions\/2021\/7\/27\/what-happened-in-tunisia-was-a-coup\">was a coup<\/a> \u2014 or more strictly an autocoup to centralize power \u2014 continue <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/opinions\/2021\/7\/30\/the-25th-of-july-tunisias-revolution-part\">to be debated<\/a>. Ironically, the lack of a constitutional court, not the least of which is due to political parties\u2019 obstruction, has not helped matters. Dissolving the parliament and blockading it with the military certainly seems to have overstepped Saied\u2019s emergency powers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, the practical necessity and popular support for the move is even more intriguing, as there has been relief and elation over an ineffectual government being removed during a period of intense economic and humanitarian crisis for Tunisia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A number of the most seasoned Tunisian activists I know \u2014 who are also intensely critical of the political system \u2014 have welcomed the dissolution of the parliament on these grounds. However, they would not accept a return to authoritarianism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Tunisian General Labour Union, or UGTT, the Tunisian League of Human Rights, among other key institutions have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tap.info.tn\/en\/Portal-Politics\/14238205-organisations-and\">released a statement<\/a> that implies support for Saied\u2019s move based on the urgent nature of Tunisia\u2019s problems. However, this is conditional on a roadmap to return to ordinary political functioning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moreover, these are diverse organizations whose local branches often act independently. For example, local UGTT members participated in the 2010-11 revolution from an early stage, while the UGTT only officially came out in support of the protests in the last few days before Ben Ali left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More importantly, these large, established organizations \u2014 which were institutionalized under Ben Ali and acted as a safety valve for dissent at times \u2014 are not representative of all workers, people and issues. This is a further bulwark against compromise with any Saied regime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other organizations <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iwatch.tn\/ar\/\">such as iWatch<\/a> have been doing fantastic work in the past years exposing corruption and pushing for prosecution. They have been attacked by the government in the past for their work, yet they will not sit silently in the coming months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Concerning ordinary Tunisians\u2019 perspectives, crucial <a href=\"https:\/\/nawaat.org\/2021\/07\/27\/tunisia-the-protesters-who-may-have-helped-bring-down-mechichi-government\/\">reporting on the ground<\/a> has reiterated that the dire economic circumstances and negligence during the pandemic are reasons why some have supported Saied\u2019s actions. Some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leconomistemaghrebin.com\/2021\/07\/28\/emrhod-consulting-les-tunisiens-soutiennent-kais-saied\/\">reports are indicating<\/a> over 80 percent popular support for his moves. Yet, this says nothing about support for any permanent centralization of power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t#newsletter-block_61095ec5c6ef3 {\n\t\t\t\tbackground: #ececec;\n\t\t\t\tcolor: #000000;\n\t\t}\n\t\t#newsletter-block_61095ec5c6ef3 #mc_embed_signup_front input#mce-EMAIL {\n\t\t\t\tborder-color:#000000 !important;\n\t\t\t\tcolor: #000000 !important;\n\t\t}\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"newsletter-block_61095ec5c6ef3\" class=\"newsletter px-4 pt-4 pb-2 text-center mb-4\">\n    <div class=\"newsletter-block\">\n        <h3 class=\"newsletter-block\">Sign Up for our Newsletter<\/h3>\n        <p class=\"newsletter-description\">We&#8217;ll send you a weekly email with the latest articles.<\/p>\n        <div class=\"newsletter-form-wrapper\">\n          <div id=\"mc_embed_signup_front\" class=\"py-3 w-100\">\n  <form action=\"https:\/\/wagingnonviolence.us2.list-manage.com\/subscribe\/post?u=f279f100fef8b39c61c33aef1&amp;id=615747eb15\" method=\"post\" id=\"mc-embedded-subscribe-form\" name=\"mc-embedded-subscribe-form\" class=\"validate\" target=\"_blank\" novalidate>\n    <div id=\"mc_embed_signup_scroll\">\n      <div class=\"mc-field-group input-group\">\n        <input type=\"email\" value=\"\" name=\"EMAIL\" class=\"required email form-control\" placeholder=\"Email Address\" id=\"mce-EMAIL\">\n        <div class=\"input-group-append\">\n          <input type=\"submit\" value=\"Subscribe\" name=\"subscribe\" id=\"mc-embedded-subscribe\" class=\"d-flex btn btn-sm btn-yellow\">\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n      <!-- real people should not fill this in and expect good things - do not remove this or risk form bot signups-->\n      <div style=\"position: absolute; left: -5000px;\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n        <input type=\"text\" name=\"b_f279f100fef8b39c61c33aef1_79af2f1e5e\" tabindex=\"-1\" value=\"\">\n      <\/div>\n      <div id=\"mce-responses\" class=\"clear\">\n        <div class=\"response\" id=\"mce-error-response\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div>\n        <div class=\"response\" id=\"mce-success-response\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/form>\n<\/div>        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Back in January this year when unrest occurred \u2014 which was too easily dismissed at the time <a href=\"https:\/\/roarmag.org\/essays\/riots-and-resistance-10-years-after-the-tunisian-revolution\/\">as merely apolitical and aimless &#8220;rioting&#8221;<\/a> by youths \u2014 it was clear that this was due to anger at the situation, as well as some desperation. I was alerted to the fact that young people involved said they &#8220;have nothing to lose,\u201d reflecting a prominent sentiment of the 2010-11 revolution. This sense of having nothing to lose was notable again on July 25.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If people feel they have nothing to lose, then any fear or costs from rising up will be lessened. Tunisians want their problems resolved, not a return to dictatorship. If Kais Saied doesn\u2019t achieve significant change, sooner or later he will be finished too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Any power grab by Saied is also likely to be met robustly by many Tunisians. The democratic freedoms and rights that came with the end of Ben Ali\u2019s regime are hard won, cherished and a source of pride among Tunisians. Some commentators seem to have forgotten that democracy is a bottom-up, as well as top-down, phenomenon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It does not help when Tunisia\u2019s democracy is seen to have started in 2011, with the mere holding of elections. Tunisians were never inert during the Ben Ali era, however difficult the circumstances. Many constantly fought for their freedoms in any way they could and paid the price of brutality, torture and disappearance. Periods of significant open protest were interwoven with the everyday acts of subverting regime authority, mockery and creative expression. If it is necessary, this is the foundation from which Tunisians will again assert their democracy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Kais Saied\u2019s constitutional moves may prove troubling, but eyes should be on Tunisian civil society and its people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":663,"featured_media":51959,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,77],"tags":[27,75],"region":[3],"series":[],"article_type":[],"class_list":["post-51954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-democracy","category-religion","tag-economic-policy","tag-protests","region-africa"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.2 (Yoast SEO v28.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Have faith in Tunisians to defend their 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