Congress presses Tunisia on security sector reform
House panel says the Arab Spring poster child isn't a democracy yet.
A key congressional panel on Sept. 17 urged Tunisia to reform its troubled security services if it hopes to be recognized as a full-fledged democracy.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee's Middle East panel easily cleared a resolution to honor the Tunisian people for their democratic transition. Committee edits, however, reveal that the panel has a less rosy perspective than the Congressional Tunisia Caucus co-chairs who co-authored the original bill.
Instead of treating the democratic transition as a done deal, the revised bill states clearly that Tunisia isn't there yet. And while the changes can seem minimal, the underlying policy concerns are linked to millions of dollars in US assistance for a tiny country reeling from recent terrorist attacks.
"Today, the people of Tunisia are firmly going down the path toward democracy, as we have seen them reach multiple milestones," said panel Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla. "We know that elections alone do not make a democracy, and that establishing true democracy is a long road. But today I am even more optimistic for Tunisia's democratic prospects."
