Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Democracy – Tunisia'

Thesis (M.A. in National Security Affairs) Naval Postgraduate School, June 1994.
Thesis advisor(s): Magnus, R. H. "June 1994." DTIC Descriptors: Foreign Policy, Democracy, Tunisia, USSR, Global, Economic Analysis, Competition, Investments, International Politics, Middle East, Government(Foreign), Foreign Aid, Theses, Correlation, Case Studies, Cold War, International Relations, Balance Of Power, North Africa. Includes bibliographical references.

Very little scholarship has been published on politics in Tunisia in the last two decades, resulting in scant coverage of the country’s political relations with the European Union (EU). Likewise, few studies of the EU’s democracy promotion and Mediterranean policies have provided any in-depth analysis of Tunisia. Meanwhile, much has been made by scholars of role played by democracy promotion in the EU’s foreign policy, particularly focusing on understandings of the Union as a ‘normative power’ or as an advocate of the ‘democratic peace theory’. By assessing EU democracy promotion in Tunisia, this thesis argues that democracy promotion has become a predominantly functional part of this foreign policy; its principal role being a means of realising the Union’s principal objectives of achieving security and stability for Europeans. By analysing the discourse of actors involved with the EU’s democracy promotion, the thesis traces a shift in EU policy from a more normative position in the mid-1990s to a more realist and securitised one since the turn of the twenty-first century. Tunisia has evolved over the last two centuries as a state strongly committed to European-influenced socio-economic reforms, but reforms which have led to little political contestability and few changes in government. However, as the EU forged a new approach to its Mediterranean neighbours, it established the promotion of democracy in its neighbours as an integral part of its foreign and security policies. Democracy was to be promoted in Tunisia within multilateral and holistic policy frameworks, such as the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, and by a range of methods that encourage reform of many levels of the region’s societies. Yet it appears that these reforms are failing to deliver the political reforms they once promised. Furthermore, democracy is gradually slipping off the EU’s agenda, and its policy objectives converge with those of the Tunisian government as security concerns come to dominate its policy discourses. In the Tunisian context at least, democracy is a purely utilitarian device used to achieve security. When that security already exists, democracy loses its utility, and fades from its once prominent place in the EU policy in Tunisia.

Following the signature of the Millennium Declaration in 2000, and of the Lisbon treaty in 2009, the EU developed a key-role role on the international stage notably through the development of the CSFP and its HR representative, Federica Mogherini. While the EU reinforced its security policies, its involvement in developing countries increased as well. Higher requirements toward its foreign partners are expected, notably regarding the implementation of democratic principles. The EUROMED partnership, through which Tunisia is bound to the EU´s financial support and socio-economic goals, deploys a wide range of democracy promotion instruments. This research looks at the meanings of democracy in the context of the EU-Tunisian partnership through a transversal discursive analysis based on the work of Chaban & Holland, the foucauldian normative theory and the criteria for an ideal democracy from Dahl and Habermas. The analysis compares two layers of democratic discourses: the official one, from the EU and the Tunisian government; and the civil society level, from NGOs, journalists and activist bloggers. The aim of the study being to look at the possible mismatch between democratic discourse and democratic realities, resulting in a transformation of the democracy definition. The findings show discrepancies between the EU´s institutionalized democratic discourse, the Tunisian governments newly democratic discourse based on familial and religious values, and finally a Tunisian civil society distanced from political life, but speaking the "parrhesian" truth of Foucault and appearing as the last authentic layer of authentic democracy.

Thesis advisor: ALI BANUAZIZI
How can one think of the possibility of emergence of democracy in non-Western countries? Such an idea had been approached in pessimism for a long time in academia. This is because the conditions deemed indispensable for democratic development (such as high rates of urbanization and literacy) rarely existed in those countries. Thus, the concept “Western democracy” was considered an oxymoron, since, according to earlier scholars of democracy, only Western polities could meet the conditions/prerequisites for the genesis of democracy. Nevertheless, this long-held prophecy was challenged as non-Western countries demonstrated significant progress towards establishing a democratic rule, despite having “so-called” unfavorable conditions (such as religion or poor economic performance) to democratic development. Despite this global resurgence of democratic governance, the countries in the Middle East and North Africa were never able to develop a democratic rule, a situation that has long been explained by pointing at the “exceptional” characteristics (primarily Islam) inherent in the region. Yet, the events that began on December 17, 2010 in Tunisia opened up the possibility for the countries that had been long-ruled by autocrats to embark on a democratic transition. The uprisings that eventually unseated longtime authoritarian rulers (only occurred in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, and Libya) enabled divergent socio-political forces to become involved in transitional processes in the aftermath of regime breakdowns. However, only the first two cases had meaningful steps that were taken towards sustaining the transition. This research has been built on the argument that four key factors have played important roles in transitional processes of these two cases, namely Tunisia (the transition to a democratic governance) and Egypt (the restoration of a new form of authoritarianism): the formation of the state, pact-making compromises among revolutionary actors, moderation of religious parties, and civil society activism. In addition to explaining the divergence in these two countries’ transitional processes, this research has been written in response to the prolonged pessimism that the regimes in the region are destined to stay non-democratic
Thesis (MA) — Boston College, 2017
Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Discipline: Middle Eastern Studies

In this study I explore how security sector reform affects the likelihood of democratization after a nonviolent resistance campaign in order to better understand the role of core security services during regime changes and the mechanisms of SSR. By using literature on nonviolence resistance, security sector reform, and by borrowing the concept ofspoilersfrom policy and peace-making literature, I hypothesise that SSR will likely increase the ability of core security actors to manage security problems in the transition after a nonviolent resistance campaign, as well as reduce spoiler capabilities among core security actors, thereby increasing the probability of democratization.I used the method of structured, focused comparison on the regime changes in Tunisia 2011-2014 and Egypt 2011-2013, and found some evidence contrary to the first, while limited support for the second.

The Jasmin Revolution in Tunisia began at the end of 2010. Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in protest against the corrupt police officials that had forced him to pay bribes in order to run his business. His protest became the symbol for the revolution that followed. A combination of political instabilities along with an economic downturn that lead to unemployment created dissatisfaction among the people in Tunisia. The Protest grew into a revolution that demanded action against the widespread unemployment, lack of democracy and human rights. A democratization process started after the revolution because of the protests. The purpose of this thesis is to analyse how Tunisia developed a democratic system of governance, if the notion of human rights has changed since the democratization process started and to analyse the relationship between human rights and democracy within the case of Tunisia. Three democratization theories, are applied to this case on Tunisia in order to answer these questions. The theorists are Robert A. Dahl with a theory of constitutionalism and institutionalism, Chantal Mouffe with a theory of agonistic pluralism and Seyla Benhabib with a theory of deliberative democracy.  The three theorists have different opinions regarding democracy and democratization processes but they all agree that the modern notion of democracy is of liberal character and that inclusion and that equality is important for a democracy. This thesis shows that the democratization of Tunisia’s governance could arise because the process had a relatively liberal agenda, which is perceived through the theories as the modern concept of democracy. The three theories require inclusion and equality for a transition to be democratic. Tunisia has included the citizens in the work of establishing a better relationship between the state and citizens but also when drafting the new constitution after the revolution. The actions taken by Tunisia are compatible with the theories, and maybe an explanation to the democratization process. The relationship between democracy and human rights is important when discussing the democratization of Tunisia. The revolution demanded democracy and human rights, something that the state could not deny. In order to honour the revolution and its demands the government in Tunisia tried to incorporate human rights into the democratic work, linking the relationship between democracy and human rights. Therefore, it can be viewed as a liberal democratization process. This thesis proves that Tunisia is not a democracy, but the process after the revolution is still remarkable and one day I can only hope that the process will be complete.

Le projet de recherche s'est concentré sur les rôles des associations féminines en Tunisie depuis l’indépendance du pays au lendemain de la révolution de janvier 2011. Sur le plan conceptuel, je reprends la notion de « agency » en tant que cadre d’analyse pour étudier l’engagement et les moyens de mobilisation des individus qui militent dans les associations féminines. Dans la mesure où ce concept de « agency » indique un engagement dans la société, cette notion se prête parfaitement aux démarches épistémologiques dans mes enquêtes auprès des personnalités des associations féminines. Cette notion de « agency » me donne un cadre pour penser à la fois les actions des femmes et des hommes qui agissent au sein des associations étudiées mais aussi au niveau de l’influence qu’elles/ils laissent dans la société de par leurs actions. J’ai cherché à comprendre si l’agency, en tant que capacité individuelle de s’imposer dans des domaines de la vie sociale, politique ou économique pour apporter des innovations et modifications, pourrait s’appliquer à un groupe et donc pourrait être utile pour comprendre un pouvoir collectif. En analysant les entretiens que j’ai conduits avec les membres des associations féminines, j'ai cherché à suivre l’histoire de ces organisations et leur impact dans la société tunisienne durant le dernier demi-siècle depuis l’indépendance de la Tunisie à nos jours, et cela dans les domaines économique, social, politique et légal afin de répondre à ma question principale : quel est le rôle des associations féminines en Tunisie postcoloniale, notamment avant et après la révolution de 2011, surtout à l’égard du processus de la démocratisation dans le pays ?
The research project focused on the rôle of the feminist associations since the indipendence of Tunisia until the revolution of 2011, analyzing the context of the creation and the process, putting the accent on different women's associations which engaged themselves in order to ensure that the gained women's rights are respected and diffused in all country with the intention to improve women to became « fully citizens ».Every time I went to Tunisia, I had some interviews with the members of the organisations during the years before and after the revolution, in order to observe the evolution of their involvement in the association and in the society.The objective of this thesis is to contextualize the socio-political rôle occupied from the four associations in the history of the country, since their creation until the present day.On the conceptual plan, I included the « agency » notion, in order to analyse the involvement and the ressources of mobilisation of the people who participate in the work of the feminist associations.I tried to understand if « agency », as individual ability to impose on the domaines of the social, political and economic life to change something, it could be a collective ability, then a collective power. Analyzing the interviews with members of the associations, I attempted to track the history of the feminist tunisian organisations and their impact on the social life of the country, to answer to a final question : which is the rôle of the feminist associations in the postcolonial Tunisia, especially before an dafter the revolution of january 2011, mainly in relation to the democratic process of the country ?

Au sein du paysage dévasté de ce que l'on a rapidement qualifié de "Printemps arabe", marqué par le rétablissement de l'autoritarisme en Égypte ainsi que par les guerres civiles en Libye, au Yémen et en Syrie, qui ont ravivé les groupes djihadistes et réveillé les conflits tribaux, ethniques et confessionnels, la Tunisie demeure une exception. Cette nation a certes traversé une transition politique longue et fragile, mais elle a réussi à préserver ses institutions républicaines, à élaborer une nouvelle Constitution saluée par de nombreux observateurs comme étant la plus progressiste du monde arabe, et à surmonter avec succès les élections législatives et présidentielles de 2014 et 2019.Cette exception tunisienne est le fruit de plusieurs facteurs, le principal étant le consensus, ou "Tawâfuq" en arabe. Le concept de "consensus" est la pierre angulaire de cette transition démocratique tunisienne, souvent qualifiée de transition consensuelle. La reconnaissance du Quartet du Dialogue national en Tunisie par le prix Nobel de la paix en 2014 illustre de manière emblématique ce consensus au cours de cette période de transition.De plus, le consensus a été au cœur de la Constitution tunisienne du 27 janvier 2014, caractérisée comme une Constitution consensuelle. Les différentes versions de la Constitution ont fait l'objet de débats et un consensus a été atteint. Ce processus a été hautement consultatif, visant à surmonter les divergences sur des questions cruciales afin d'obtenir un large accord au sein de la société tunisienne concernant les dispositions de la nouvelle Constitution. La création de la "commission des consensus" au sein de l'Assemblée nationale constituante visait à modifier les règles de représentation des différentes forces politiques. Cette commission n'a pas suivi une répartition proportionnelle, mais chaque groupe y était représenté par un nombre équivalent de députés.Cependant, bien que le consensus ait contribué à établir un régime politique et constitutionnel démocratique, faisant de la Tunisie une exception dans la région, il a également présenté certains effets pervers lors de la consolidation du régime, tant sur le plan politique qu'institutionnel et constitutionnel. En effet, l'esprit de conciliation, bien que tempérant les antagonismes et les divergences, n'a pas résolu les problèmes socio-économiques sous-jacents, et ceux-ci risquent de ressurgir après une période de latence
In a landscape devastated by what has been hastily labeled the "Arab Spring," marked by the resurgence of authoritarianism in Egypt and civil wars in Libya, Yemen, and Syria - which have reinvigorated jihadist groups and stirred the specters of tribalism, ethnic strife, and religious conflicts - Tunisia stands as a remarkable exception. Despite enduring a protracted and fragile political transition, the country has managed to safeguard its republican institutions, adopt a new Constitution acclaimed by numerous observers as the most progressive in the Arab world, and successfully navigate the challenges of two legislative and presidential elections in 2014 and 2019.This Tunisian exceptionalism can be attributed to several factors, with consensus (Tawâfuq) being paramount among them. Indeed, what we refer to as "consensus" constitutes the cornerstone of Tunisia's democratic transition, often characterized as consensual. The crowning achievement of this consensus during the transitional phase was the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the quartet that orchestrated the national dialogue in Tunisia in 2014.Similarly, consensus lent its name to the Tunisian Constitution of January 27, 2014, acclaimed as a consensual Constitution. Successive versions of the Constitution underwent extensive deliberation, culminating in a consensus. This process was highly consultative, designed to reconcile differences on pivotal issues and secure broad societal agreement on the provisions of the new Constitution. Notably, the creation of the "consensus commission" within the National Constituent Assembly aimed to overhaul the rules governing the representation of various political forces. The composition of the consensus commission did not adhere to proportional representation; rather, each group was allotted an equivalent number of members.Nevertheless, while consensus facilitated the establishment of a democratic political and constitutional regime, setting Tunisia apart as an exception in the region, it also revealed certain adverse effects during the consolidation phase of the regime, encompassing political, institutional, and constitutional aspects. The spirit of reconciliation, which temporarily quelled antagonisms and differences, did not resolve underlying socio-economic issues, and these problems may resurface after a period of dormancy

The purpose of this thesis is to try to understand the moderation process of the Tunisian Islamic political party Ennahda between the years of 2011-2016. This case is studied within the context of the democratisation process that took place in Tunisia, in the five years after the Arab spring and the idea that political Islam might provide a path to democracy in the Middle East and North Africa. The theoretical framework chosen for understanding this process was in form of a theory about under which circumstances religious political parties politically moderate. The method used was a qualitative content analysis. The analysis was conducted by dividing the chapters into thematic topics that emerged out of the material with the framework then being applied to those themes. The research found that the theory provided theoretical understanding for why the Ennahda Movement became more moderate, especially when looking at factors regarding political entrepreneurship. However, other factors such as a dedication to democratic values, non-violence, and a willingness to change throughout its history, also proved important in the case of moderation within the Ennahda Movement.

The Arab Spring put several revolutions in motion in the Middle East and North Africa. However, Tunisia was the only country that succeeded with a democratization process, making the country a fairly new democracy. Simultaneously, independent research networks and organizations whose main focus is democracy and democratic values such as Freedom House, V-Demand the Arab Barometer are presenting worrying information about democracy around the world. Democracy is in crises - evident by the remarkable decline or erosion in democratic norms and practices. While scholars have already begun investigating the causes of democratic deconsolidation or backsliding in the context of western democracies, notably those of western Europe and the US, still little is known with regards to new democracies from other parts of the globe. To fill this research gap, this qualitative case study focuses on Tunisia, with the core objective to investigate whether or not Tunisia is experiencing democratic deconsolidation. By using the three criteria described by the political scientist Yascha Mounk in his deconsolidation theory, the result suggests that while democratic values are still quite strong amongst the Tunisian citizens, it is evident that a majority of the Tunisian citizens are experiencing institutional dissatisfaction and low institutional trust.

The people in Tunisia demanded democracy and civil liberties, which led to large-scale demonstrations against the Tunisian regime in December 2010. The demonstrations against the authoritarian regime was considered to be the beginning of the Arab Spring. Of all states that was affected by the Arabic Spring, Tunisia became that one country that succeeded their transition from an authoritarian state to a democratic one. In order to analyze why Tunisia became a democratic state, this study aims to clarify what factors that affected the democratization process. Through the theoretical framework of Samuel P. Huntington, the factors that affected the third wave democratization are used in this study in order to analyze the Tunisian democratization and transition. Through analyzation; deepening legitimacy problems of the regime and economic growth was considered to affect the Tunisian democratization. Actions of external actors partly affected the country’s democratization. However, religious changes and snowballing effects was considered not to have an impact on the democratization and transition towards democracy.

Cette thèse est consacrée pour analyser le droit de transition dans le cas de la Tunisie en évoquant la légitimité de la révolution et la légalité de la transition en Tunisie. Le contexte de la transition été expliqué pour mieux comprendre dans quelles circonstances elle s'est opérée et quelle incidence ce contexte va avoir sur l'ensemble du processus de transition. Il s’agira de mettre en avant, d'abord, l'originalité du processus de la transition constitutionnelle en Tunisie ensuite une étude de la nouvelle constitution. De même la recherche explique comment ont été conciliés les souhaits progressistes et le respect de l'identité tunisienne à travers la préservation d'un certain nombre de valeurs et principes de tendance conservatrice. Enfin, l'objet de la thèse se prolonge pour analyser de manière concrète, le passage de la transition constitutionnelle à la transition démocratique, à travers la mise en place plus ou moins effective des nouvelles institutions. Mais, il été nécessaire de montrer que si le processus de transition constitutionnelle semble achevé, sa mise en œuvre pratique rencontre un certain nombre de difficultés qu'il conviendrait de résoudre pour que la phase de transition démocratique puisse véritablement s'achever
This thesis is devoted to analyze the right of transition in the case of Tunisia by mentioning the legitimacy of the revolution and the legality of the transition in Tunisia. The context of the transition was explained to better understand the circumstances in which it occurred and how that context will affect the entire transition process. It will be a question of putting forward, first, the originality of the process of the constitutional transition in Tunisia then a study of the new Constitution. In the same way the research explains how the progressive wishes and the respect of the Tunisian identity were reconciled through the preservation of a certain number of values and principles of conservative tendency. Finally, the object of the thesis is prolonged to analyze of concretely, the transition from the constitutional transition to the democratic transition, through the more or less effective implementation of new institutions. However, it has been necessary to show that, while the process of constitutional transition seems to have been completed, its practical implementation encounters a number of difficulties that should be resolved in order for the democratic transition phase to truly end

Après le déclenchement des révoltes arabes en 2010, la Tunisie est le seul pays arabe à s'être démocratisé avec succès, dans une région où un repli autoritaire est en train de sévir. Les chercheurs ont étudié la transition démocratique tunisienne en se concentrant principalement sur ses facteurs internes, alors qu'ils ont accordé peu d'attention à l'impact des facteurs internationaux et des influences externes sur le processus de transition. S'appuyant sur une analyse qualitative, cette étude examine la dimension internationale de la transition de la Tunisie vers la démocratie et soutient que les facteurs et influences internationaux ont joué un rôle important dans le processus de démocratisation. Cette recherche se concentre sur l'impact que l'agence des promoteurs internationaux de la démocratie a eu sur la structure nationale tunisienne. Il met en évidence la façon dont l'interaction entre les acteurs internationaux et les groupes nationaux tunisiens a contribué au processus de démocratisation, sans soutenir que les facteurs externes ont imposé les choix et des acteurs politiques et sociaux tunisiens. L'étude expose trois résultats théoriques qui contribuent au débat sur la dimension internationale de la démocratisation. Premièrement, cette recherche suggère que lorsque les promoteurs internationaux de la démocratie soutiennent les oppositions nationales à développer une confiance mutuelle à renforcer leurs liens, et de combler les divisions, il favorise l'émergence des nouveaux ‘centres de pouvoir’. Les données empiriques fournies par cette étude démontrent que les programmes d'aide à la démocratie et les influences libérales internationales ont favorisé la création d'une coalition tunisienne pro-démocratie d'opposition au régime de Ben Ali. Deuxièmement, cette étude avance que le faible niveau de la bataille étrangère pour l'influence en Tunisie a facilité le processus de négociation entre les élites de transition pendant le processus de démocratisation. Troisièmement, cette étude soutient que lors de la transition tunisienne vers la démocratie, les promoteurs internationaux de la démocratie ont aidé les partis politiques tunisiens à passer d'un consensus initial sur la mise en place d'un système politique démocratique à une concurrence au sein du système démocratique mis en place. Bien que cette étude se concentre uniquement sur le cas de la Tunisie, tous les chapitres fournissent des preuves comparatives avec d'autres contextes régionaux.
Following the outbreak of the Arab revolts in late 2010, Tunisia is the only Arab country that has democratized successfully in a region where authoritarian retrenchment prevails. Scholars have studied the Tunisian transition to democracy focusing mainly on domestic factors, devoting little attention to the role international factors and external influences played in the transitional process. Relying on qualitative analysis, this study investigates the international dimension of Tunisia’s transition to democracy and argues that international factors and influences played a relevant role in the democratization process. This research focuses on the impact the agency of international democracy promoters had on Tunisian national structure during the transition to democracy, without downplaying the agency of Tunisian political and social actors. It highlights how the interplay between international actors and Tunisia domestic groups contributed to the making of the democratization process. The study lays out three theoretical findings that contribute to the debates on the international dimension of democratization and democracy promotion. First, it suggests that when international democracy promoters support domestic oppositions in developing mutual trust, strengthening ties and bridging divisions, they enhance the emergence of new alternative ‘centres of power’ to the regime. Second, this study argues that the low level of foreign squabbling for influence in Tunisia facilitated the bargaining process among transitional elites during the democratization process. Third, this study suggests that during the Tunisian transition to democracy, international democracy promoters helped Tunisian transition elites to move from the initial consensus over democracy to competition within the democracy. While this study focuses only on the Tunisia’s case, all the chapters provide comparative evidence with other countries in the Middle East and North Africa to back up the empirical findings and the theoretical reflections.

Renouant avec le comparatisme, cette thèse ambitionne de repenser l’articulation du religieux et du politique, à travers un objet classique de la science politique : les partis politiques. Les recherches sur les partis islamistes et les partis démocrates-chrétiens européens restent le plus souvent cloisonnées, donnant lieu à des études monolithiques. Afin de favoriser cette approche comparative, nous avons déplacé le curseur en Italie, sismographie de la transformation européenne, où la Démocratie chrétienne a peu attiré l'appétit des politologues, et ce, malgré sa longue domination (1945 – 1990). Partant, une analyse des trajectoires de l'islamisme tunisien et le parti démocrate-chrétien italien comble ce déficit et révèle les limites du nouveau projet islamiste. Cette « tectonique des plaques » est d'autant plus justifiée par la mutation inédite que connaît l'islam politique tunisien post-printemps après le Xe congrès d’Ennahdha. Rompant avec sa radicalité, le parti cherche à se spécialiser dans le domaine politique en amorçant un processus de sécularisation qui tend vers « la démocratie musulmane ». Examiner ce tournant à la lumière du référent démocrate-chrétien, c'est investir deux espaces méditerranéens et réinscrire la sécularisation au cœur de la politique comparée
By rooting our thesis in a comparative approach, the primary focus here is to reconsider the interaction of religion and politics, through an object which has received a lion’s share in political science: political parties. Research on Islamist and European Christian Democrat parties remains mostly compartmentalized, leading to monolithic studies. In order to foster this comparative view, we have shifted the cursor to Italy, the seismography of European transformation, where Christian Democracy, despite its roots and long domination (1945 - 1990), has not much attracted political scientists. Hence, an analysis of the trajectories of Tunisian Islamism and the Italian Christian Democratic Party fills this gap and reveals the limits of the new Islamist project. Musing on the topic, this plate tectonics is all the more justified by the unprecedented mutation of Tunisian political Islam after the Xth Congress of Ennahdha. Breaking with its radicalism, the party seeks to specialize in the political field by promoting a process of secularization that tends towards Muslim Democracy. Exploring this turning point in the light of the Christian Democrat referent means taking over two Mediterranean areas and reinserting secularization at the core of comparative politics

Partant du constat de la constitution de la promotion de la démocratie comme enjeu des relations internationales et de politique étrangère, la présente recherche s’interroge sur les politiques menées en la matière par l’Union européenne dans le cadre des relations avec ses voisins méditerranéens, particulièrement le Maroc et la Tunisie. L’analyse se concentre sur l’Instrument européen pour la démocratie et les droits de l’homme, sur la période 2007-2012.

L’objectif est de comprendre et d’expliquer les pratiques des différents groupes d’acteurs impliqués dans ces politiques, au sein de la Commission (DG Relex/SEAE, DG Devco, délégations) et du Parlement (sous-commission DROI).

La position défendue est la suivante :les pratiques européennes de promotion de la démocratie au Maroc et en Tunisie sont fonction de l’identité des groupes institutionnels qui les mettent en œuvre. Pour chaque groupe institutionnel, peuvent être mis en évidence des normes, intérêts et ressources qui contribuent à défendre et renforcer l’identité institutionnelle. Dès lors, des pratiques qui peuvent paraître incohérentes au premier abord (pourquoi agir au Maroc et pas en Tunisie ?pourquoi créer l’IEDDH et, parallèlement, évincer l’objectif de promotion de la démocratie de la coopération bilatérale avec la Tunisie ?) prennent tout leur sens lorsqu’on parvient à restituer la fonction sociale qu’elles assurent.

Doctorat en Sciences politiques et sociales
info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

La constitutionnalisation de la gouvernance financière publique est une esquisse de réforme de l’État tunisien, qui cherche à démocratiser ses institutions en refondant l’action publique sur deux éléments essentiels, un élément démocratique centré sur la transparence publique et un axe gestionnaire, purement technique cherchant à réussir la performance des opérations budgétaires. À défaut, la gouvernance est vidée de son sens, et, la non-gouvernance conduit à l’expansion de la corruption. Ainsi, l’établissement d’un système d’évaluation et le renforcement des instances de contrôle administratif, juridictionnel et parlementaire constituent des gardes fous contre ce fléau. Le grand challenge pour la Tunisie en tant que démocratie naissante, consiste à entamer une « révolution culturelle » pour la mise en œuvre des politiques publiques efficientes, afin de combattre la culture de l’impunité, le laxisme politique et s’engager dans un processus d’assainissement des finances publiques en vue de soutenir la discipline budgétaire afin de retrouver la souveraineté financière
The constitunalisation of the public financial governance is a draft of the amendement of the Tunisian State that tries to democratize its institutions by recasting the public action on two essential elements: the first is a democratic one based on the public transprency and the second is a management axis which is purely technical trying to make the performances of the budgetary operations succeed. If this is not possible, the governance has no meaning and the non-governance leads to the expansion of corruption. Thus, the establishement of an evolutionary system and the strengthening of an administratif, legal and parliamentary supervision actions would establish a serious ward againstthis flail.The challenge of Tunisia as a new born democracy is to start a “cultural revolution” to pursue efficient public policies in order to fight against the impunity and the political laxness and to be engaged in a process that aims at making the public finances better in order to support the budgetary disciple to regain financial souvereignty

This study delves into the post-Arab Spring period when political Islam was at the forefront of the drive for democratisation in the MENA region. The theories of political Islam and liberal democracy are used as the theoretical framework for the study. A qualitative approach was undertaken with a focused textual analysis of a variety of academic papers and opinion pieces on the theory of political Islam in order to discuss the compatibility of political Islam and democracy. The study makes use of Tunisia and the Ennahdha Movement as a case study to assess the practical application of political Islam. The research is limited to the 2011-2015 period in Tunisia in order to specifically make use of the electoral periods to determine the political Islam credentials of the Ennahdha Movement. What the study has determined is that there is sufficient evidence of the symbiotic relationship between political Islam and liberal democracy, making political Islam a viable approach for political movements in Muslim majority countries. This study contributes to the literature on political Islam as well as analysis of the post-Arab Spring developments in Tunisia. It provides a more in-depth focus on what makes Ennahdha a political Islam movement and uncovers its liberal democratic character.
Political Sciences
M.A. (International Politics)

Beginning in December 2010, Tunisian citizens used techniques of protest, resistance and intervention in a struggle for freedom from the systems that had for decades denied them agency, autonomy and dignity. As a result of their resistance, in January 2011 the Tunisian people successfully deposed the authoritarian president Ben Ali after 23 years in power. Though this movement began spontaneously and operated without designated leadership, the role of the national labor union - The Union Générale Tunisienne du Travail (UGTT) - was vital in mobilizing and directing the uprising. This thesis will interpret the events of the 2011 Tunisian uprising through the framework of civil resistance, as defined by Gene Sharp and Hardy Merriman. Through the use of political defiance and noncooperation, civil resistance employs nonviolent tactics to challenge and remove entrenched political leaders and systems. This study will analyze the Tunisian uprising and the role of the UGTT in the movement using three indicators of civil resistance success: unity, strategic planning, and nonviolent discipline. Despite sporadic incidents of violence, this thesis asserts that the 2011 Tunisian uprising successfully enacted nonviolent civil resistance, and the implementation of nonviolent political action has made the establishment of a genuine and lasting democracy a real possibility for the future. The UGTT were invaluable in the 2011 uprising as facilitators and collaborators with the Tunisian people, and currently function in a pivotal nonpartisan and objective intermediary political role. Though the outcome remains uncertain and the conclusion of the revolution in flux, the 2011 Tunisian uprising has set an example and a precedent for civil resistance to the rest of the world.

The purpose of this thesis is to explore whether or not Tunisia was successful in the process of democratization it initiated after the Arab Spring. A historical analysis of the country as well as an analysis of the Pre-revolution period were needed to understand the background and the base the country started from in transitioning towards a democratic state. (hfhyh) definition of democracy was chosen. As a result, three main components were chosen to highlight the progress achieved by Tunisia in reaching democracy. These three components come as follow: The Constitution, free and fair elections, and freedom of speech. As a result, and a conclusion of the literature review assembled throughout the thesis, Tunisia has reached an efficient democratic transition 10 years after the revolution.
O objectivo desta tese é explorar se a Tunísia está ou não no processo de democratização. Foi necessária uma análise histórica do país, bem como uma análise do período de Pré-revolução para compreender os antecedentes e a base a partir da qual o país iniciou a sua transição para um Estado democrático. Foram escolhidos três componentes principais para destacar os progressos alcançados pela Tunísia a fim de alcançar a democracia. Estas três componentes são as seguintes: a Constituição, eleições livres e justas, e liberdade de expressão. Como resultado e conclusão da revisão bibliográfica reunida ao longo de toda a tese, a Tunísia não chegou a uma transição democrática eficiente; contudo, está de facto a passar por um processo de democratização, abordando diferentes âmbitos de cada vez.

Normative Power Europe theory presented by Ian Manners defines the European Union as a normative actor in international relations. According to him, EU's ability to change what passes for "normal" in international relations originates from its internal set-up which the EU uses to shape its environment and international norms in its own image. After first studying Manner's tripartite analysis and defining normative goals, means and impact of the normative policy, the thesis then proceeds to test normative theory in the European neighbourhood, particularly in the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, by analysing EU's democracy and human rights promotion in Tunisia. It identifies discrepancy between EU's goals and means and discovers that on the one side, Euro-Mediterranean cooperation improves socio-economic development, however on the other it impedes the political one. This finding reflects incoherence and inconsistency of the EU's policies in the Mediterranean and arrives to the conclusion that EU is not a normative power in its neighbourhood policy.