With the overthrow of the authoritarian regime of President Zine El Abedine Ben Ali in 2011, Tunisia embarked on a process of democratization characterized by intense work on a new constitution and ad hoc responses to security challenges. In a new Atlantic Council report, “Tunisia: The Last Arab Spring Country,” Mohsin Khan and Karim Mezran survey the successes of Tunisia’s consensus-based transition and discuss where Tunisia’s five successive governments went wrong. 

Although Tunisia enjoyed great political successes, the government failed to address serious structural flaws in the country’s economy – including high unemployment, rampant corruption, regional disparities, and increasing wealth inequality. Now, hampered by the absence of economic reforms and facing the loss of tourism and investment following two terror attacks, Tunisia’s economy risks collapse. Please join the Atlantic Council for a discussion of the consequences of such an outcome, as the country hailed as the last remaining chance for democracy in the region risks reversing four years of painstaking political work. 

Haykel Ben Mahfoudh is a recognized authority in constitutional law and security sector reform and is a Nonresident Fellow at the Atlantic Council. Mariem Mezghenni Malouche is a founding member of Tunisian American Young Professionals and an expert both on the economies of the MENA region and on international trade. At the Atlantic Council, Mohsin Khan specializes in the Arab economies and Karim Mezran focuses on the politics of North Africa. 

This event is on the record and open to press. 

DATE:        Tuesday, October 13, 2015

TIME:         12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. 
A light lunch will be served. 

LOCATION:     Atlantic Council
1030 15th St NW, 12th floor
Washington, DC 20005