Three years ago, Tunisia was the starting point for the upheavals that swept across the Arab world. A street vendor set fire to himself in protest against the regime of Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, triggering a wave of protest that soon had the president fleeing the country. In the years since, Tunisia has often looked as though it might descend into the same anarchy that has afflicted other states in the region. The outlook was particularly precarious last summer when the country was struck by a wave of violence, much of it instigated by Salafi militants. At that time, Tunisia looked dangerously polarised between its Islamist and secular political parties.
During the past six months, however, the country’s politicians have hammered out a remarkable set of compromises that are now setting the country on a new path. Nahda, Tunisia’s Islamist party, has recognised the need to be flexible over the writing of a new constitution, accepting that there should be full rights for women and minorities. Tunisia’s secularists, meanwhile, have accepted that the document can enshrine Islam as the national religion. Last Sunday, the constitution was finalised in the national parliament amid emotional scenes, paving the way for elections this year.
This is an impressive achievement. But what lessons does it hold for the wider region? We should beware of making too much of Tunisia’s example. The country has a population of 10.6m, about one-eighth the size of Egypt, which will always be the Middle East’s bellwether state. Tunisia’s economic and social structure also makes the transition from dictatorship to democracy a little easier. It has a much stronger middle class than its neighbours, while the army has never played a significant role in national life in the way we have seen in Egypt.
Still, two aspects of Tunisia’s progress are worth underscoring. First, the country’s political transformation shows what can be achieved if Islamist and secular leaders are prepared to compromise on some core beliefs. Here, an important example has been offered by Rached Ghannouchi, the leader of Nahda. Mr Ghannouchi made negotiations over the constitution much easier from the start by accepting that it did not need to be based on sharia law. He made those concessions because he has learnt from the mistakes made in Egypt by Mohamed Morsi, whose drift towards authoritarianism triggered a mass uprising and a subsequent military coup against his leadership last summer.
Secondly, the west and particularly the EU, must now pay close attention to Tunisia’s achievement and look to offer economic and trading support. Tunisia is not out of the woods yet. It faces serious economic challenges, with high unemployment and significant disparities of wealth between the impoverished interior of the country and its more developed coastal areas. As a result, western donors should act to support the country where possible. Most of the Arab world is shrouded in gloom. It is therefore hugely important that one country is allowed to stand as a beacon of what can be achieved if Islamists and secularists set aside their differences for the greater good.
__________________________________________________
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2014. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3a104dea-8810-11e3-a926-00144feab7de.html#ixzz2rpIaD5zh
