Tunisias International Relations since the Arab Spring
When popular protests started in Tunisia in late 2010, few anticipated the implications these events would have for the entire Arab region. In the following years, this region witnessed deep changes, increased divisions, and even failing states. Meanwhile, Tunisia managed to assert itself as a new democracy. How did this small country manage its democratic transition within such a short period? And what implications has this had for its foreign policy and its role in international politics?
This book assesses Tunisias transition inside and out from four angles: Tunisian polity and politics which provide the framework for its foreign policy since the Arab Spring; bilateral relations before and after the Arab Spring; Tunisias activism in international organisations as well as their presence in Tunisia; and transnational issues in Tunisia. Drawing on a broad range of primary sources, including authors own interview material conducted with politicians and representatives of civil society and international NGOs involved in the transition process, the book shows that since 2011 Tunisia has not only developed fundamentally at the domestic level, but also at the level of external relations. New and old alliances, a broadening of relations, and new activism of civil society and of Tunisia in international organisations certify that Tunisia has the potential to play an increasingly important role regionally as well as internationally.
Providing an encompassing picture of Tunisias changed role and successful transition from an autocracy to a democracy, the book allows students and scholars in the field to understand the last country standing better, a country that both the scientific community and the political scene should not underestimate for the promises it holds.
Tasnim Abderrahim holds an M.A. in English Studies from the University of Tunis and was one of the coordinators of the GermanTunisian research project Tunisia in Transition. Her research interests include foreign policy analysis and democratisation.
Laura-Theresa Krger is a PhD candidate in International Relations at the University of Passau, Germany. Previously one of the coordinators of the research project Tunisia in Transition, her research interests include development policy, French and European foreign policies.
Salma Besbes is a PhD candidate in International Relations at the University Tunis Carthage and offers courses on Human Rights at the University of Kairouan. In 2015 and 2016, she was one of the coordinators of the research project Tunisia in Transition.
Katharina McLarren is a PhD candidate who focuses on religion in IR theories. She works for the Chair of International Politics at the University of Passau, Germany and was one of the coordinators of the research project Tunisia in Transition.
Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern Democratization and Government
Edited by: Larbi Sadiki
Qatar University
This series examines new ways of understanding democratization and government in the Middle East. The varied and uneven processes of change, occurring in the Middle Eastern region, can no longer be read and interpreted solely through the prism of Euro-American transitology. Seeking to frame critical parameters in light of these new horizons, this series instigates reinterpretations of democracy and propagates formerly subaltern narratives of democratization. Reinvigorating discussion on how Arab and Middle Eastern peoples and societies seek good government, Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern Democratization and Government provides tests and contests of old and new assumptions.
For a full list of titles in the series: www.routledge.com/middleeaststudies/series/RSMEDG
10 Oil States in the New Middle East
Uprisings and Stability
Edited by Kjetil Selvik and Bjrn Olav Utvik
11 Politics of the Islamic Tradition
The Thought of Muhammad Al-Ghazali
Mohammed Moussa
12 The Arab Lobby and the US
Factors for Success and Failure
Dania Koleilat Khatib
13 Hamas and the Media
Politics and Strategy
Wael Abdelal
14 Egyptians in Revolt
The Political Economy of Worker and Student Mobilizations 19192011
Adel Abdel Ghafar
15 US Hard Power in the Arab World
Resistance, the Syrian Uprising and the War on Terror
Layla Saleh
16 Palestine in EU and Russian Foreign Policy
Statehood and the Peace Process
Malath Alagha
17 Tunisias International Relations since the Arab Spring
Transition Inside and Out
Edited by Tasnim Abderrahim, Laura-Theresa Krger, Salma Besbes and Katharina McLarren
18 EU Foreign Policy and Hamas
Inconsistencies and Paradoxes
Adeeb Ziadeh
First published 2018
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Names: Abderrahim, Tasnim, editor.
Title: Tunisias international relations since the Arab Spring: transition
inside and out / edited by Tasnim Abderrahim, Laura-Theresa Kruger,
Salma Besbes and Katharina McLarren.
Other titles: Routledge studies in Middle Eastern democratization and
government; 17.
Description: Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2018. | Series:
Routledge studies in Middle Eastern democratization and government; 17 |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017020948 | ISBN 9781138738201 (hbk) |
ISBN 9781315184913 (ebk)
Subjects: LCSH: TunisiaForeign relations21st century.
Classification: LCC JZ1933.T86 2018 | DDC 327.611dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017020948
ISBN: 978-1-138-73820-1 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-18491-3 (ebk)
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