Cracks in Tunisia’s Democratic Miracle Less than a decade after the 2011 uprising that ousted a dictator, the election of an anti-establishment president amidst popular turmoil indicates that many Tunisians reject the narrative that all is well with Tunisia’s new liberal democracy. Laryssa Chomiak • 9 min read
MER Article Refusing to Forgive In 2015, Tunisia’s President Beji Caid Essebsi proposed a draft economic reconciliation law to forgive graft and other corrupt acts committed by civil servants and businessmen under the regime of ousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in exchange for closed-door confessions and return of ill-gotte Lana Salman, Laryssa Chomiak • 15 min read
MER Article The Making of North Africa's Intifadas As the waves of protest inspired by Tunisia continue to roll across the Middle East and North Africa, analysts have remained puzzled by the mysterious timing, incredible speed and cross-national snowballing of these uprisings or intifadas. In the six months following the electrifying scenes of thous John P. Entelis, Laryssa Chomiak • 16 min read
MER Article And the Winner Is... The administration of President George W. Bush claims a commitment to promoting democratization in the Arab world, whether through regime change or by pressuring authoritarian leaders through “transformational diplomacy” to open their political systems. It has been tempting for the administration’s Jillian Schwedler, Laryssa Chomiak • 17 min read
