Tunisia and its President

Early in the day, Beji Caid Essebsi, the President of Tunisia, passed away at the age of ninety-two. It would be unjust not to write a word of appreciation for him. At the head of the State since 2014, he has stabilised the country and presided over its democratisation. Tunisia might still have many challenges but remains the country that transformed its Arab Spring into a democracy and a more tolerant and open society. Old man Essebsi played a key role in the process. Old age, in his case, meant wisdom and courage. He deserves a big thank you.

Algeria and Sudan

Algeria and Sudan mean good news. It is so rewarding to have positive developments in these two countries. People are in the streets, fighting for democracy, after so many years of government brutality. And they are not ready to let change go and be just apparent. They want deep political reforms, serious constitutional changes. Civilian rule after the dictatorship of the intelligence services and the armed forces.

They will do it by themselves. There is no need for external pressure or interference. In both cases, we have populations that have shown political maturity and indomitable courage. They learnt, after so many years of hardship, to be strong and clear in their determination.

Tunisia needs Europe´s attention

The Tunisian youth is again on the streets. Five years after the beginning of the democratic transition many things have been achieved in terms of freedom, human rights and gender. The country remains the only example, in the Arab region, of a peaceful and legitimate change. But the economic opportunities are still missing. It is dreadfully hard to find a job. The terrorist attacks have kept the tourists away. The complex and dangerous situation in the neighbourhood, with Libya on one side and Algeria on the other, is not helping either. Many young Tunisians have actually been radicalised and about five thousand of them have joined the ranks of the barbaric organization that calls itself “Islamic State”.

In addition, there are serious governance issues that have not been addressed. Corruption is widespread. All these problems have created the impression that there is no future for the younger generations. The overall sentiment is one of deep frustration. Therefore, people are back to the streets, and again in very large numbers.

I have called on several occasions for assistance to the Tunisian democracy. The country needs investments, trade agreements, gender-balanced skills development, security assistance and tourists. It also requires a major overhaul of its public administration. EU should focus on Tunisia. France has promised today one billion euros of financial assistance to be disbursed during the next five years. But Paris should also be the Tunisian advocate in the European institutions. Europe cannot let Tunisia down.

Downright pathetic politics in Egypt

Every time I see images, or read the proceedings of today´s Egyptian courts, a single word comes to mind: deplorable.

When the shock is too big, we can´t find too many words. 

Tunisia should count with the European support

The popular rally against terrorism that today brought thousands of people to the main avenues of the Tunisian capital should be seen as a sign of hope. I am also pleased to see François Hollande and Matteo Renzi among the crowd. European leaders have to be seen as supporting the struggle of the Tunisian people against all types of violent extremists. 

Supporting Tunisia is in our own European interest

Last week, in the middle of a discussion about the Arab changes and democratisation processes, I made a strong point to my European friends about Tunisia. The line was very simple: we should encourage EU tourists to visit the country as a way of helping the country to overcome the current economic slowdown. We should also put pressure on the travel agencies to bring Tunisia back as a highly recommended destination. And we should recognize the country as an example within the North African region and be clear about our support to its political transformation.

In this context, yesterday´s terrorist action against foreign tourists, with very heavy loss of life, is a major setback, besides being a great tragedy for the victims. If the forces that oppose democratic change and liberty wanted to cause serious damage to Tunisia they managed to achieve their aims yesterday. The tourism sector is now ready to collapse. This will have a deep impact on the country´s economy and it will create additional social hardships.

Our role, as EU friends of the Arab positive change, is to call for more EU assistance to Tunisia, on an extraordinary basis, as a bridging package, to give the country a chance to rebuild its image as a safe destination. Part of such assistance should include a strong security component. We ought to keep in mind that success on the Southern banks of the Mediterranean Sea are vital for our European interests. 

Good news from Tunisia

The news from Tunisia is good. The electoral process has been credible. And for us, from our corner of the world, that´s what matters. This is an Arab revolution that has remained democratic and moderate. The rest, the outcome of the elections is a matter that belongs to the Tunisians. They have decided. And I trust the decision is certainly the wiser one, taking into account what was on offer.  

Let´s support Tunisia

The Tunisian presidential elections – the first round was held today – are important for the country´s citizens, obviously, but also for the image of Arab revolutions.

Tunisia was the first country to undergo a major political change based on mass demonstrations. It is today the best example of democratization in the Arab world, notwithstanding the many problems the country is still confronted with. And all the friends of Tunisia and democracy in that part of the planet would like it to continue to be a good example. Even if we know that there are many dimensions that are far from being good, including some related to the old oligarchy, its corrupted practices and its attempts to highjack the process, we need to be able to say that there is pluralism, tolerance and rule of law in a country that shares its borders with states that are still in deep crisis.

We should also be able to convince the tourists to go back to Tunisia and all types of investors to look at the country´s potential. 

Syria's hell

As things stand, we can expect over the weekend some cruise missiles to be launched on Syria from war vessels sailing in the Mediterranean Sea or in the Indian Ocean. In many ways, the rhetoric in Washington, Paris and London has gone too far. The accusations against Assad on the gas deaths of last week leave little room for any other option but action by those who publicly made them. The UN Security Council is being dealt with by the British. In the international division of labour, they got the assignment. Once it becomes clear that the Council is not prepared to authorise the use of force by rejecting the British draft resolution, the unilateral approach will be more palatable to the Western public opinion.

There are many problems related to military action, in any case. Even if approved by the Security Council. Once it starts, it opens a new phase and a box of unintended consequences. This is particularly true in a corner of the world that is like a tinderbox. Therefore, those who decide to go for it should be ready for hell. And they should also have a clear end-game alternative. Unfortunately, experience has shown that we think small and never prepare for the big and complex situation that will follow. 

Syria is getting back into the headline news again

The Syrian crisis has been pushed out of the TV screens by the situation in Egypt. And a lot of people in the West are feeling good about this. After deciding that they would deliver weapons to the rebels, many in Washington, London and elsewhere felt very uneasy about this move. The fact that Syria has been forgotten by the media during the last many weeks has given those politicians some respite.  But the tragedy is still there, the Geneva conference seems to be dead in the water and the issue is about to return to the top of the international agenda. What will be the Western response then? 

The Egyptian transition

The initial reaction from the international community to the Egyptian events has been very measured. This is certainly good news. The country needs to be allowed to go through a new transition without too much interference from outside and be given a new chance to redraft a more inclusive constitution and organise proper elections. Peace and internal security are critical at this stage. As it is full respect for the rights of every citizen, big or small. 

A new ball game in town

The social media networks have become major tools when it comes to rallying people and bringing them to the streets. Twitter, Facebook, Whats App, blogs, and many others –the list is very vast –, have been used in the Arab Spring revolutions, in Turkey, and now in Brazil, to disseminate political messages and call for demonstrations.  All of them are free, easy to access, and very common among the young and the urban folks. These two categories of people are, by far, the main source of opposition to any government in the world. In addition, social media tools work better with very short messages, very direct and therefore very easy to apprehend and internalize.