In a new Atlantic Council issue brief titled “Reforming Tunisia’s Troubled Security Sector,” Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East nonresident fellow and security sector reform activist Bassem Bouguerra explains the barriers to reforming the North African country’s troubled security apparatus and offers possible paths forward for reform.
Rather than undermining government efforts to counter terrorism and extremism, Bouguerra argues that, in fact, security sector reforms can bolster Tunisia’s democratic governance and stability. The obstacles, however, are many, as a culture of impunity continues to prevail and top-down approaches such as leadership reshuffling fail to address systemic problems.
Security sector reform was among Tunisians’ demands when they rose up against the former regime. Now, almost four years since the Jasmine Revolution propelled the so-called Arab Spring, and with Tunisians having just cast their ballots in a milestone parliamentary election, Bouguerra provides insights into how to address the complex, multi-layered issue.