Biden urged to put strings on Tunisia aid amid democratic backslide
A letter from some 50 activists, academics and former diplomats calls for the Biden administration to condition certain assistance to Tunisia on steps toward democratic governance.
A group of former US diplomats and Middle East experts want the Biden administration to dial up the pressure on Tunisia’s president to reverse the country’s anti-democratic slide.
“We fear that the absence of a strong US reaction to [Kais] Saied’s assault on democracy may have encouraged him to press forward on his destructive path,” read the letter sent to President Joe Biden on Thursday.
Some 50 experts, including several former US ambassadors to Tunisia, urged Biden to work with Congress to condition US security assistance on Tunis taking several steps toward democratic governance, including ending trials of civilians in military courts and ensuring accountability for police brutality. They also recommended additional economic support come only after Tunisia restores its freely elected parliament, reinstates independent bodies and ensures free speech protections.
Offering incentives for progress, they wrote, “would demonstrate support for the Tunisian people while encouraging urgently needed moves to protect democracy.”
