The Ongoing Case Study of Tunisian Democratization

1. Describe the perspective of the author of the first article “In a world of crisis, Tunisia’s democracy
marches on.” What is the author’s thesis? What are the author’s central claims? If necessary, use
small excerpts from the article as a reference. (5)
 The Author of the First Passage shows an optimistic view for the future of Tunisia’s democracy,
yet the Author still acknowledges that Tunisia is in a time of political instability. One of the
Authors central claims is that Tunisia is distinct from other countries in that it is the “one
“success” story of the 2011 Arab Spring”. Citing Tunisia as such, shows that the author
thoroughly believes in Tunisia’s current status and future democratic prospects. The author
continues to then discuss Kais Saied who was elected to office due to the change that Tunisians
so greatly seek. From here the author describes how Tunisian citizens are going to the streets to
protest and keep democracy alive in the country. The author explains that the efforts of the
Tunisian citizens have been fruitful as the country has passed laws protecting minority groups
which has helped keep democracy afloat. Through this discussion in the article the author reveals
an overall optimistic view of Tunisia’s plans for democracy. On the contrast, the author does
acknowledge that “The country faces a glut of structural problems, a slumping economy, rising
food prices”. From this discussion the author shows a view that recognizes Tunisia’s efforts
towards democratization, while still recognizing its growing battles on other fronts.
2. Describe the perspective of the author of the second article “In Tunisia, cradle of the Arab spring,
protesters want jobs.” What is the author’s thesis? What are the author’s central claims? If
necessary, use small excerpts from the article as a reference. (5)
 The Author of this article believes that although Tunisia has pushed for more of a democracy, the
process has overall had a negative effect on the country. The Author cites that in Tunisia
“There’s nostalgia for dictatorship”. The author explains that people wish to go back to a
dictatorship because the new change in government has brought unemployment and further
distress in Tunisia. Even though parliament passed a law that would give jobs to graduate
students, it became too big a financial burden to continue. In addition to this the author also
explains that Tunisia’s leaders also see nothing being done. Overall, the author points out that
Tunisia’s further democratization has not yielded a net positive gain for the country. The authors
point of view is that Tunisia’s citizens believe that the prior dictatorship was better for the
country as it provided more stability.
3. What do these two articles, written less than a year apart illustrate about the ability of a
government to maintain legitimacy? Which source of legitimacy did the first article, and many
Tunisian citizens at the time, focus on? Which source of legitimacy did the second article, and
many Tunisian citizens now, focus on?
 These articles show that when government shifts, legitimacy may also shift making the
government need a new source of legitimacy. Since Tunisia switched form a dictatorship to more
of a democratic regime the country has seen unrest. This is likely due to the lack of a source of
legitimacy in Tunisia. During the dictatorship the government derived legitimacy through fear
instilled in its citizens, now the government must search for a new way of attaining legitimacy.
In the first article the citizens focused on attaining legitimacy through a government that favored
their needs. This is seen by the protest that the first article mentions. Tunisians were protesting
because they wanted a government change so that the government could reflect their needs. In
contrast the second article focusses on legitimacy gained through dictatorship. The citizens in the
second article, unlike the first, believe that the prior dictatorship that Tunisia was under was
better for the country as it allowed for more stability.
4. What does the case of Tunisia say about the process of democratization? Explain. Use data from
the EIU Democracy Index to walk through the democratization of Tunisia from 2010 until now.
(4)
 In 2019 Tunisia had a Democracy index of 2.79 labeling it an Authoritarian regime. 10 years later in
2020 Tunisia’s democracy index rose to 6.59 labeling it flawed democracy. This growth in
democracy index shows that democratization is a complex process since a shift towards a democratic
regime may seem good on paper, but it may have unintended consequences which cause instability
in a country. This is seen especially with Tunisia. In a 10-year period Tunisia gained almost 4 points
in their democracy index. While this seems good, both articles point out the negative effects of this
switch in regime type. Tunisia has seen high percentages of unemployment as well as food
shortages. While this wasn’t the intention of the democratization of Tunisia it does show that there
can be a negative effect of democratization as well as positive.
5. Do you think the Tunisian government will maintain their legitimacy and continue to
democratize? Will they plateau and stay mired in this limbo between authoritarianism and
democracy? Will Tunisia revert to authoritarianism, as the second article begins to contemplate?
Justify your position. (4)
 I believe that Tunisia will not continue its democratization and will fall back towards
authoritarianism. Because democratization has made life harder for many Tunisians, I believe
that they will come to terms with their country and allow authoritarianism to take place once
again. I think Tunisia has reached the max range of its democratization. If the instability persists
in Tunisia, I believe that they will revert back to authoritarianism to create some semblance of
stability.