The gun attack in the city of Tunis this week was the latest example of the havoc wreaked by Islamist militants in cities across the world. But the assault, in which at least 23 people were killed, should be condemned not just for the murder of innocent civilians. It was a calculated attempt to destabilise Tunisia, the one nation in the Middle East and north Africa that has seen a peaceful transition to democracy in the wake of the Arab spring. The US and its European allies, which have fallen badly short in their response to the upheaval in neighbouring Libya, should now rally in support of the Tunisian people.
When Tunisia experienced its “Jasmine revolution” in 2011, many feared the country would plunge into civil war between secularists and Islamists. Yet political leaders in this nation of 11m people opted for that rare Arab commodity: compromise. Today, the Nida Tunis secular party and the moderate Islamist Nahda party are working together in a national unity government led by President Beji Caid Sebsi, overcoming their earlier mistrust. As a result, Tunisia, located as it may be in one of the world’s most dangerous neighbourhoods, is widely lauded as the Arab world’s most successful democracy.
Tunisia faces two big problems, however. The first is the growing threat of jihadism which this week’s attack has grimly illustrated. The assault at Tunis’s Bardo museum may have been carried out by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or Isis, which has claimed responsibility. But extremist groups such as al-Qaeda and Ansar al-sharia also run long-established local cells. Their capability was boosted by the collapse of the Libyan dictatorship four years ago, an event that saw tens of thousands of weapons and military vehicles falling into the hands of local militants.
The second problem is the state of the economy. Although economic activity has held up well in recent years, the country is deeply dependent on the state of European markets, which have been sluggish until now. Tunisia’s annual economic growth, at about 3 per cent, is well below the level needed to provide jobs for its disaffected youth. Among the biggest concerns raised by this week’s attack — in which most of the victims were foreigners — is that it may depress the country’s vital tourist sector.
President Sebsi is a veteran politician whose initial condemnation of the outrage has been resolute. But the international community has a vital role to play. One immediate task should be for the UN, EU and Nato to co-ordinate a plan to boost the ability of the Tunisian army and police to face down the terrorist threat. These international bodies should also help Tunisia to seal its southeastern border against incursions by jihadis and criminal gangs. On the financial front, western powers ought to provide substantial support to the country in the form of loans, investment and debt relief, measures that would help to allay the country’s growing social pressures.
The upheaval afflicting the Middle East and north Africa poses immense challenges for the international community. But western leaders should recognise their special obligation to Tunisia. It not only offers a shining example of how western-style democracy and Islam can coexist in an Arab state. The country is also paying a high price for the Nato-led intervention
in Libya which has destabilised the region, a problem exacerbated by
the intervening powers’ subsequent neglect.
The west failed the people of Libya. It must not repeat that mistake in Tunisia’s hour of need.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2015. You may share using our article tools.
Please don't cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web.
No comments:
Post a Comment