Tunisia: Examining the State of Democracy and Next Steps for U.S. Policy

Location: Virtually via Cisco WebEx
Subcommittee: Middle East, North Africa and Global Counterterrorism

Witnesses:
Dr. Elie Abouaoun, Ph.D.
Director of Middle East and North Africa Programs
United States Institute of Peace

Dr. Amna Guellali, Ph.D.
Deputy Regional Director for Middle East and North Africa
Amnesty International

Ms. Alexis Arieff
Specialist in African Affairs
Congressional Research Service

Mr. Eddy Acevedo
Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor
The Wilson Center
Former National Security Advisor and Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator
Legislative and Public Affairs, USAID


The House Foreign Affairs Committee is responsible for oversight and legislation relating to:

- Foreign assistance - including development assistance, Millennium Challenge Corporation, the Millennium Challenge Account, HIV/AIDS in foreign countries, security assistance, and Public Law 480 programs abroad

- National security developments affecting foreign policy

- Strategic planning and agreements

- War powers, treaties, executive agreements, and the deployment and use of United States Armed Forces

- Peacekeeping, peace enforcement, and enforcement of United Nations or other international sanctions

- Arms control and disarmament issues

- The International Development Finance Corporation, the United States Agency for International Development

- Activities and policies of the State, Commerce, and Defense Departments and other agencies related to the Arms Export Control Act and the Foreign Assistance Act, including export and licensing policy for munitions items and technology and dual-use equipment and technology

- International law

- Promotion of democracy

- International law enforcement issues, including narcotics control programs and activities

- International cyber issues

- U.S. Agency for Global Media

- Embassy security; international broadcasting

- Public diplomacy, including international communication and information policy, and international education and exchange programs; and all other matters not specifically assigned to a subcommittee.

- The Export Administration Act, including the export and licensing of dual-use equipment and technology and other matters related to international economic policy and trade not otherwise assigned to a subcommittee, and with respect to the United Nations, its affiliated agencies, and other international organizations, including assessed and voluntary contributions to such organizations.

[haythemoueslati]

The Tunisian people is against all intervention in internal Tunisian affairs.
Tunisia is a sovereign state and its people have the right to self-determination.

[leoafricain]

Americans are some of the nicest people you can meet and deal with, but their politicians sold them out and they want the same thing to happen in Tunisia.
It's not about ideology or religion, US politicians prefer to deal with Tunisian politicians who would sell us out in exchange for a commission deposited in their bank accounts outside of Tunisia.
Is that democracy? I don't think so. And even if it is then no thank you, we'll pass on this one...

[tozrimondher]

No gentlemens… Our democracy is not in risk. The tunisian people won’t move backwards after we breathed the fresh air of democracy

[ridhalanouar]

The US through few crumbs to Tunisia. Most of the aid is for military equipment and security aid. Not economical or trade help

[sirinelachheb]

Actually the tunisian citizens agreed with the exceptional decisions that were made from the president because of the corruption in the country, maybe for non tunisian it seems like non democratic but for tunisians we were all waiting for something that could help us move forward from the bad situation that we had. In the Parlament, there were a lot of issues that made tunisia even suffer more. And despite the bad economical situation, they were planning for stealing more and more from the tunisian government.
#we_support_kais_saied

[ranime]

in july 25 if SAID didn't take an action we were going to have another revolution the entire country were going in a lot of trouble and what said did was the right think to stop the crises

[leoafricain]

Dear Tunisians, Tunisia's debt to GDP ratio went up from 43% in 2010 to 100.9% in 2020. These guys are professional gaslighters, don't let them fool you.

[ckcqmbb]

The monetary interest of lobbyists should not override the interest of the Tunisian people nor favor the micro interests of bad people, repudiated, hated like Ghannouchi, Marzouki, Bhiri, Larayedh and the former Ennahdha party.

[jihenrahmouni]

I'm Tunisian and we solve our own problems. What Said did was a necessity since the parlement was not conducting its duties, we're suffering from corruption and them using their power to get their benefits right.... Please as much as we respect you, respect our free-will of choice and do not intervene in our internal matters. Finally Palestine will be forever our pride and we will forever defend it and pray for its peace.

[leoafricain]

Dear Tunisians, Gen.Michael Flynn is an American who dedicated his life for his country, they still framed him and almost destroyed him. They do this to their own, you expect them to care about us Tunisians? Wake up!

[ahmedabdellaoui]

He did not dissolve the parliament, he applied the article 80 of the tunisian constitution . and please try to have the right facts when you are talking about others countries affairs .
Next time you must invite peoples from tunisia not from different planet reading a paper without clues .

[sabinemezni]

The past 10 years i never experienced any democracy in my country, it was corruption under the guise of democracy ،And the president elected by the people was restricted to do his job ،in the past 10 years no one Intervention to discuss the corrupt politics of the Ennahda party now after the people go out and bring down the injustice party, America decide to discuss if there's a democracy, it's too late for that because the Tunisian people decided

[latifabenhassen]

We are Tunian people and we agree with kayes Saeed we support him

for all decisions fitting the corruption

[mrssalem]

After enduring a decade of fallacious democracy, corruption, incompetence and high crime, 87% of Tunisians support Pr Saïed's stand and look forward to a referendum for a new constitution introducing a presidential regime with separation of powers in a representative democracy.
#we_support_kais_said

[mohamedmetoui]

99% of Tunisian are with the president kais said. The previous parlment was corrept,

[YDKTN]

the united states must respect and recognize the true will of the tunisian people and stop supporting the wrong side

[heni-hano]

I am 100% tunisian ... supporting more than 1000% kais said ... ladies and gentlemen, TUNISIANS🇹🇳 are building them new country too far away from corruption caused by representatives ... OUR parlment become toxic and giving a very bad image about us about this beautiful country ... a parlment work for business men and for the popular families in tunisia ... a parlment make our life full of sadness..without giving the + without improving our misreable we are in the process of purifying it ... we support our president who lead us for that .... so please if really you want the good (+) for us never listen to minority of islamists .... and THE MOST IMPORTANT DONT INTERFERE IN TUNISIA INTERNAL AFFAIRES ...
#we #are #all #kais #said 🇹🇳🇹🇳🇹🇳
#ALLAH #BLESS #TUNISIA

[mohamedskanderzarrouk]

The Tunisian people supports kais said moves.

[boutalebmaissa]

We support kais said because the past period has stolen the country's wealth and Tunisia has become in decline...

[walidriahi]

We are all with kais said's decision against corruption