The president of one of the four civil society organizations in the Nobel Prize-winning Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet said her country will need to make changes in its education system to reduce unemployment and adapt to an evolving economy. In a videotaped interview during a visit to USIP, Ouided Bouchamaoui talked about some of the many issues facing Tunisia during its still-precarious transition and about the status of women in society and the economy.

Tunisian trade group leader Ouided Bouchamaoui speaks with USIP Senior Gender Advisor Kathleen Kuehnast.
Tunisian trade group leader Ouided Bouchamaoui speaks with USIP Senior Gender Advisor Kathleen Kuehnast.

Bouchamaoui is president of the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts, one of four organizations in the Quartet, which was awarded the Peace Prize in October "for its decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011." The other organizations in the Quartet are the Tunisian General Labor Union, the Tunisian Human Rights League and the Tunisian Order of Lawyers.

Tunisia remains the only country in the 2011 Arab Spring revolutions that hasn't descended into war or returned to authoritarian rule, in part because of the leadership of figures such as Bouchamaoui and Sheikh Rachid Ghannouchi, the leader of the Islamist movement Ennahda whose government stepped down amid deep tensions in 2013 to avoid a spiral into violence. But Tunisia faces daunting odds: a weakening economy, rising violent extremism and public disenchantment with the difficulties of transition, according to a panel of experts who marked the anniversary at USIP in January. Some experts have called for stepping up assistance to Tunisia as a rare bulwark of peace in the region.

"What we did in Tunisia is something [of] an exception,” Bouchamaoui said in the USIP interview on March 2. "We have to trust our country and to say, 'We can change our country.'"


Related Publications

Is China Eyeing a Second Military Base in Africa?

Is China Eyeing a Second Military Base in Africa?

Tuesday, January 30, 2024

For over three decades, every Chinese foreign minister’s first overseas trip of the year has been to Africa. This year continued the tradition with China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, visiting Egypt, Tunisia, Togo and Côte d'Ivoire. Notably, every one of these countries is coastal. And yet, at a time of continued speculation over China’s next military installation in Africa, none of these countries has featured prominently as potential locations in previous analyses. We might, therefore, reasonably ask what China’s current considerations are around basing in Africa. Faced with an increasingly multipolar and assertive Africa at a time of domestic economic challenge, however, China’s long-term strategy remains unclear.

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

The Current Situation in Tunisia

The Current Situation in Tunisia

Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Tunisia’s transition to democracy remains incomplete and under stress. Since the presidential measures to suspend the parliament, dismiss the government and draft a new constitution were enacted in 2021, socioeconomic conditions have continued to deteriorate, and risks of unrest have increased. Meanwhile, the ambitions of the 2011 revolution for rule of law, accountability, economic prosperity and human dignity are far from being realized. USIP works with Tunisians to improve national and local governance and security, rebuild trust and strengthen civil society.

Type: Fact Sheet

Overcoming the Challenges of Transitional Mobilization

Overcoming the Challenges of Transitional Mobilization

Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Nonviolent action can be a powerful way to bring about peaceful transitions from autocratic rule to democracy. But even when initially successful, movement leaders often face significant challenges, from frustrations that grievances are not addressed quickly enough to counterrevolutions aimed at restoring the authoritarian status quo. This report examines two recent transitions—the 2011 Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia and Armenia’s 2018 Velvet Revolution—and presents recommendations for improving the likelihood that change initiated through nonviolent action leads to robust and lasting democracy.

Type: Peaceworks

Nonviolent Action

View All Publications