Tunisia: Reactions After the Fall of Ben Ali

Michele Penner Angrist addressed the future of democracy in Tunisia stating, “Ben Ali suffocated the political arena to such a degree that there is no force capable of governing Tunisia other than the ruling party and the military.” Angrist also discussed the implications of the lack of US involvement in Tunisia’s unrest and the future of other Arab regimes, “Were the regimes in Egypt or Jordan on the line, Western support for the status quo might well be more vigorous.” Stephen M. Walt believes that we should be careful to quickly assume that Tunisia will be the catalyst for political change across the region. Daniel Brumberg agrees with Walt, but remains hopeful for progressive reform in the region if a functioning, pluralistic democracy can be established in Tunisia.  Thomas Carothers asserted that although the United States did very little to press Tunisia on democracy and human rights issues there is now potential for meaningful action, “Washington and other Western capitals should press now to get specific commitments from the new Tunisian leadership that not only will elections be held, but that they will be meaningful.”