« Operation Al-Aqsa Flood » has marked Kais Saied’s divergence from Tunisia’s traditional stance favoring a two-state solution, a position established by Habib Bourguiba in 1965. The present article offers a glimpse into Tunisia’s diplomatic evolution regarding major regional and international conflicts.
The IMF and the West in Tunisia: Saied, a fish caught in the net?
The question is nothing short of provocative in light of the president’s ever nationalist discourse. But the facts remain. As it activates certain elements of policies recommended by the IMF, Carthage appears to be settling into place beneath the wing of its friends to the West.
Administrative purge: a new current in the regime’s authoritarian drift
What do the designation of a new prime minister and the public admonition of national television’s CEO have in common? Both highlight President Kais Saied’s new priority to « cleanse » the administration. Envisioned as a means to further consolidate the regime’s grip on power, the planned purge may in fact undermine the fragile web of alliances that is holding it together.
Najla Bouden: Poor economic record, outstanding support for repression
Her departure from the Kasbah has been as discreet as her arrival. A late night post on the Office of the President’s Facebook page informed Tunisians of Prime Minister Najla Bouden’s dismissal from office. After less than two years serving at the head of government, this unassuming university professor is leaving the field with an underwhelming track record in confronting socioeconomic issues. What is remarkable about Bouden’s term is how she stood by an increasingly authoritarian regime.
Tunisia and Europe dive back into « readmission » for irregular migrants
Over the past month, Tunis has received visits from a number of European officials offering aid to the Saied regime in exchange for cooperation on migration issues. Their proposals all revolve around one prickly question: the return and readmission of Tunisian and foreign immigrants.
Rule of Law in Tunisia: Saiedism’s number one victim
Since 2021, Tunisia has been living a paradox. Never has the rule of law been so abused as it is today, under the regime of a university professor of constitutional law. Most concerning about the situation are its potentially long-lasting consequences, and the series of dangerous precedents now engraved in the country’s collective memory.
Saied’s economic policy: IMF, BRICS and magical thinking
President Saied’s hostile remarks about IMF injunctions have stirred public debate around economic alternatives to pull Tunisia out of crisis. The struggle is bitter between adepts of the classic « structural adjustments » prescribed to save flailing economies, and adherents of the president’s magical thinking-based approach.
Diplomacy: Friends of Kais Saied’s Tunisia
Recent statements by high officials in the West—namely Giorgia Meloni and Emmanuel Macron—in addition to increased contact with Qatar are burying the aspirations to turn away from Tunisia’s traditional western allies, as proposed by supporters of the current regime. Close up on the geopolitics of president Kais Saied.
The lost people of Kais Saied: Analysis of a declining popularity
Extremely low participation in the first round of legislative elections has brought the government face to face with a dilemma: how to set up a regime intended to be the expression of the people’s aspirations…without the people?
Legislative elections 2022: The end of Saied’s state of exception?
Presented as a crucial political moment, the December 17 legislative elections were supposed to be the final act of Tunisia’s state of exception which began on July 25, 2021. If nothing else, this affirmation deserves to be put into perspective.