The Tunisian President, Beji Caid Essebsi, attended the US-Africa Business forum, which took place in New York last week, with a significant participation of leaders and investors from both the US and Africa. Being invited as a guest of Honor by President Obama, Essebsi’s visit to the US was an Endeavour to upgrade Tunisia-Africa relations and bring back foreign investment to the country.
Notwithstanding its political success and outstanding democratic transition, Tunisia is struggling with a serious economic plight and severe social discomfort. Given a threatening increase of foreign debts coexisting with dramatic drop in employment rates among youth, Tunisian officials are currently working on bringing foreign investment to a country where taxes are high and business friendly regulations are restricted. They are also working to promote the image of Tunisia as a young democracy and an epitome in the MENA region, where almost all other democratic transitions ended up with either bloody civil wars or illegitimate coup d’etat. Accordingly, the US-Africa Business forum was a strategic opportunity for Essebsi and his advisors to address these issues through holding several meetings with the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Christine Madeleine, World Bank senior officials along with a public open dialogue with John Kerry .
Obama ‘s invitation of the Tunisian President as a guest of Honor reflects the extent to which the US administration is working on supporting the unfolding democratic transition in Tunisia through diplomatic assistance to private investment. Since the 2011 uprising, often referred to as the “Jasmin Revolution”, the US has been actively engaged in promoting democracy in Tunisia as Obama consistently emphasizes that the political transition in Tunisia “is not a secondary interest”, but rather an opportunity for all Americans to stand with Tunisians aspiring to freedom and liberty. During Ben Ali dictatorial era, US-Tunisian relations have almost completely deteriorated ascribed to Ben Ali unwillingness for serious cooperation with the American administration such as the Millennium Challenge Account, Open Skies Negotiations and more importantly the lack of support to USAID programs for Tunisian Youth in interior regions. Thanks to the 2011 uprising, strong ties between US and Tunisia have been restored, while inaugurating Obama “open-hand” strategy declared in his speech in Cairo.
US democracy promotion in Tunisia takes several forms. Economically, The World Bank and the African Development Bank, both funded by the Congress, requested each 500$ millions to support the Tunisian economic plight. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which is partly funded by the congress, also requested extra financial resources to support the vulnerable Tunisian banking system. The International Monetary Fund also plays an important role in promoting economic growth. Given the ongoing challenges such as an overvalued currency, fragile banking system and unstable business climate, the IMF recommended various economic reforms and programs such as the Stand-By Arrangement and extra 2.9$ billion loan to support job creation. Civil society reforms and democracy support are as important as economic assistance. Through different programs funded by both USAID and the National Endowment for Democracy, civil society organizations along with other international organizations such as the United Nations Human Development are offering training cycles and democracy consolidation tutoring. Anti-terrorism efforts and security concerns are of paramount importance, given the annual funding given to the Tunisian Defence Department. The United States offered 6 million $ to combat terrorism and transnational terrorist groups. It has also provided extra 5 million $ in form of military equipment such as vehicles, aerial systems and command units. Education and cultural exchanges also represent another form of cooperation through Fulbright scholarships for Tunisian students to pursue their education in American universities, new linkages between US universities and Tunisian institutes and other several exchange programs to build mutual understanding between the Tunisian government and the American administration.
The idea that stability should be prioritized over liberty can no longer be applied in the case of Tunisia. Previous US administrations have always been supporting dictatorial regimes in order to guarantee a certain degree of stability and peace in the region and therefore secure US strategic interests. The former “Bush Doctrine” does no longer meet the requirements of the new context in Tunisia and adopting a new approach becomes inevitable. Unlike Bush administration’s policies mainly based on unilateralism and uncalculated freedom agenda, Obama apparently adopts a more multilateral approach to the Tunisian context, mixed with a certain degree of smart power which replaces military power by diplomatic channels and foreign aid alternatives. As far as observers can see, Obama endorses the Hamiltonian school, a multilateral based-foreign policy which sees the US as leading power and responsible for shaping world order. For Obama administration, Tunisia is not only a young democracy that represents a model to be followed by the rest of MENA region countries, but a strategic case where Obama may reflect American universal values of democracy, freedom and justice, away from the hardships of American involvement in Syria and Iraq.
