North Africa

State of the Order: Assessing July 2021

The State of the Order breaks down the month's most important events impacting the democratic world order.

Tunisia was the only democracy to blossom from the Arab Spring. Now it’s a mess.

By Karim Mezran, Alissa Pavia

The main issue is not whether the actions of the president are legitimate or not according to the constitution, but the fact that these actions were taken at the worst possible moment for the country, one in which the fragile economy and political system may not survive the blow inflicted by this decision, thus, underscoring how President Saied does not have Tunisia’s best interests at heart.

Experts react: What’s next after Tunisian president’s parliamentary freeze?

By Atlantic Council

On July 25, President Kais Saied invoked Article 80 of Tunisia’s constitution to sack Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and dissolve parliament. Atlantic Council experts react to the events, assess the impact on the fledgling democracy, and offer their thoughts on how the international community may respond.