One of Tunisia’s many jobless graduates detonated a home-made suicide bomb in the capital last month. This was not a Daesh attack, it was a desperate and tragic act and an important reminder to politicians and government about what is at stake in this young democracy.
One of the most remarkable achievements of the ill-fated “Arab Spring” was the relative success Tunisia had in transforming its society despite extreme mistrust, heightened polarization and surging terror-related incidents. It was neither a bloody civil war nor protracted negotiations that brought an end to the two-decade Ben Ali regime. It was the careful work of pragmatic politicians and their skillful consensus-building that kept Tunisia far from conflict, beginning a new era of what should have been transparent, accountable, responsible and inclusive government.
Now, however, that ray of optimism is all but faded. ...