Tunisian president Kais Saied’s dismissal of prime minister Hichem Mechichi, effectively seizing control of the country, has been both celebrated and protested. Supporters welcome it as a protective measure of their hard-earned democracy, while critics denounce it as a coup. Top US officials have so far urged Saied to return to the “democratic path.†But they have stopped short of threatening any corresponding action. Given the priority president Joe Biden has placed on protecting the world’s democracies, is the US response in Tunisia falling short? What else should it do?
Democracy was a central theme of Biden’s inauguration speech. “This is democracy’s day,†he declared. “Today we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause, the cause of democracy,†he continued. This focus on democracy was no doubt designed to reassure the millions of Americans who viewed Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, as a danger to America. Earlier that month, they watched in horror as a violent mob, encouraged by Trump himself, staged an insurrection at the nation’s Capitol. Biden’s inauguration was, in his words, a victory for democracy.
In a 2020 essay in Foreign Affairs magazine titled, “Why American Must Lead Again,†Biden, then a candidate for the presidency, pledged to “revitalize our national commitment to advancing human rights and democracy around the world.†His pledge included hosting a global summit for democracy to, among other things, galvanize “significant new country commitments†in three areas: fighting corruption, defending against authoritarianism and advancing human rights. The crisis in Tunisia now tests Biden’s stated commitments and calls into question once again the tension between America’s values and interests in the Middle East.
From calling the crisis a coup to withholding aid to Tunisia, advocates of a strong US response cite America’s commitment to democratic values as an impetus to actively protect and support democracy abroad. Tunisia’s own former speaker of parliament, Rached Ghannouchi, who was dismissed by Saied at the start of the crisis, penned an opinion article in The New York Times imploring the Tunisian president to “reverse his steps†and calling for Tunisia’s Western and regional allies to support Saied in taking those steps.
Other voices, particularly those in the Middle East, insist that American involvement only makes bad situations worse; that the US simply cannot understand local nuances and should therefore not interfere in the affairs of other countries.
In his 2020 article, Biden criticized his predecessor’s approach, writing that “when the world’s democracies look to the United States to stand for the values that unite the country — to truly lead the free world — Trump seems to be on the other team.†The crisis in Tunisia now puts Biden’s words squarely back in the spotlight. If his predecessor put the US on the “other team,†what does it look like to be on the right team in a Biden administration?
Given the still-unfolding situation and the lack of clarity of Saied’s intentions, there are few concrete steps the Biden team can take now. That said, it should continue to express its support for the democratic process. To that end, national security advisor Jake Sullivan and secretary of state Antony Blinken’s separate calls with Saied were a step in the right direction.
Second, Biden and his team should also explicitly encourage Saied to reinstate an elected parliament to oversee the actions of the executive branch in accordance with Article 80 of Tunisia’s constitution.
Third, rather than publicly berating or threatening the Tunisian president with punitive actions, the Biden team should make clear that they stand by ready to provide whatever is necessary to support the democratic process and that, by reinstating the necessary checks and balances for a thriving democracy, Tunisia will reap the benefits of belonging in the community of democracies that president Biden will bring together in his global summit.
Working with incentives rather than threats advances Biden’s democracy agenda without attracting accusations of hypocrisy at a time when the majority of America’s allies in the Middle East are undemocratic regimes.
Finally, should the US genuinely wish to back its words of support for democracy with actions, it must do so with humility and respect for the local population, recognizing that it often does not have a full understanding of events on the ground or the support of a significant portion of the population.
As Biden prepares to hold his global summit on democracy in the coming year, how his administration responds to the crisis in Tunisia will offer a clear example of what it means for America to support democracy abroad. Whether the example will be a positive or negative one remains to be seen.
By Jasmine El-Gamal/Syndication Bureau for Telegraf  Â
Jasmine El-Gamal is currently a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, where she focuses primarily on Middle East policy, as well as the role of narratives in the radicalization cycle. She is a former Pentagon official with over 15 years of experience in national security and in cross-cultural communications. El-Gamal served as a Middle East policy advisor under four US secretaries of defense, as well as a special assistant for national-security affairs to three undersecretaries of defense. A first-generation American of Egyptian heritage, El-Gamal has worked throughout her career to incorporate intercultural and interfaith understanding and mutual respect in national-security policy. El-Gamal holds an MS from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and a BS in Marketing from Clarkson University. She is also a graduate of the New York Film Academy and a co-producer of the 2017 short-documentary film, “Unwelcome,†which was an official selection at over 10 international film festivals. El-Gamal is a co-founder of Only Through US (www.onlythroughus.org), a Washington, DC-based non-profit initiative that seeks to counter fear-based policies in the wake of terror attacks.
