Reasons for Tunisia Fairing Well
Tunisia and other Arab countries sought to establish a democracy after several years of anarchy and dictatorship. During the 2011 Arab revolt, the country succeeded in its democratic endeavors due to ongoing global norms and civic engagement (Council on Foreign Relations, 2011, p. 321). Another reason for their success is that their government crafted a liberal and pluralistic constitution (Yerkes, 2022).
Moreover, during the fight for freedom, one man set himself on fire to depict the pathetic political situation (Bitar et al., 2015, p. 9). The incident alarmed the people and escalated the need for a permanent change to improve their status. Despite doing well, the country must consolidate its democracy to avoid a return to tyranny, as in Chile (Constable and Arturo, 1989). Tunisia continues holding fair local and national elections, which will strengthen its independence (Yerkes, 2022). Thus, several factors promote self-government.
Necessary Preparations for Democracy
One relevant precedent is the development of the reforms needed for an elective government. For instance, in Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi received 96.6% of the vote before his swearing-in as president (Al Jazeera, 2014). Although Brazil has yet to achieve a complete turnaround from political chaos, setting standards for reforming laws and policies has been instrumental in its positive accomplishments (Hoge, 1995). In Mexico, what set the grounds for a civil society is the emergence of a diverse civil society and strong leadership across multiple parties (Maxwell, 2004). The implication is that there must be competition for the citizens to select the best candidate.
In the case of Ukraine, its democratic success was preceded by the emergence of a powerful civic movement and skilled opposition (Karatnycky, 2005). Educating the public about their roles, such as voting, is essential to enable them to embrace the outcome. Furthermore, lawmakers and politicians may benefit from benchmarking against other countries that do well under majority rule.
Difficulties in Democratic Transitions
Past systemic issues may persist even after a change in constitutional political leadership. For instance, the release of Nelson Mandela and his presidency failed to eliminate the deep-rooted racism that was established in the apartheid regime (Thompson, 1999). The other example is Egypt, which, despite ushering in its republic in 1952, now wants the army to save it from squabbling politicians (Black, 2013). The Tunisian democracy is under threat of violence, crackdown on human rights, and dissidents (Lowenthal et al., 2016, p. 134). Moreover, there is always the threat of a military coup, where some individuals seek to overthrow the rulers by force (Lowenthal et al., 2016, p. 134).
In some cases, the president may seek to change the constitutional terms so that they can continue to lead the nation for many years. The other problem is that the majority are not always wiser in communicating their preference and end up being subject to the most influential minorities. Resistance towards the change, even when positive, is another hindrance during the transition.
Works Cited
Al Jazeera. “Sisi Takes Power in Egypt.” 2014.
Bitar, Sergio, and Abraham F. Lowenthal. Democratic Transitions: Conversations with World Leaders. JHU P, 2015.
Black, Ian. “Egypt’s Army Remains the Ultimate Arbiter of Power.” The Guardian, 2013.
Constable, Pamela, and Arturo Valenzuela. “Chile’s Return to Democracy.” Foreign Affairs, 1989.
Council on Foreign Relations. The New Arab Revolt: What Happened, What It Means, and What Comes Next. CFR Publishers, 2011.
Hoge, James F. “Fulfilling Brazil’s Promise.” Foreign Affairs, 1995.
Karatnycky, Adrian. “Ukraine’s Orange Revolution.” Foreign Affairs, 2005.
Lowenthal, Abraham F., and Sergio Bitar. “Getting to Democracy: Lessons from Successful Transitions.” Foreign Affairs, vol. 95, no. 1, 2016, pp. 134-144.
Maxwell, Kenneth. “Opening Mexico: The Making of a Democracy.” Foreign Affairs, 2004.
Thompson, Leonard. “Mbeki’s Uphill Challenge.” Foreign Affairs, 1999.
Yerkes, Sarah, et al. “Global Lessons for Tunisia’s Stalled Transition.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2022.