President Joe Biden claimed in his inaugural address that future generations would see that his administration “met the moment — that democracy and hope, truth, and justice did not die on our watch but thrived.”
Biden and his fellow Democrats make much of their supposed struggle to defend democracy against the highly unlikely prospect of a Trump dictatorship. But when it comes to real coups and the actual thwarting of democracy, their attention wanders away.
Take what’s happening in Tunisia, birthplace of the 2011 Arab Spring. Following that populist uprising against state corruption and oppression, Tunisia ended a two-and-a-half-decade dictatorship to become a budding, multiparty democracy. It endured ISIS attacks and continued friction over corruption and political power.
Yet, the country is now on the precipice of another dictatorship.
The crisis began on Sunday, when President Kais Saied fired the prime minister, suspended parliament, and forcibly blocked politicians from taking their seats. He says he is acting to uphold constitutional order. But it is unclear whether the president will relinquish power within 30 days, as Tunisia’s constitution requires. The Biden administration’s response to this rolling coup d’etat has been distinctly underwhelming.
Saied has his supporters, which reflects the dissatisfaction that many Tunisians feel over corruption. A mismanaged economy and botched response to COVID-19 — there were stampedes at vaccination centers — have sparked public fury and a demand for change.
But the prime minister’s ouster reeks of a purge. Saied’s mass deployment of security forces seems unlikely to restore democratic order quickly. Unsurprisingly, the country’s vibrant array of political parties is unhappy. The parliament’s speaker, the leader of a centrist Islamist party and an erstwhile governing coalition member, has joined with other party leaders to condemn Saied. Whatever their disagreements, secular and Islamist parties alike recognize that democracy fails if one man calls all the shots. Tunisia cannot be called a democracy if its news media are subject to raids and forced closures — Al Jazeera’s offices have been shuttered.
Biden’s response to this has been weak. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the United States was “concerned.” State Department spokesman Ned Price did not mention Saied and instead urged “scrupulous respect for freedom of expression and other civil rights.” The administration seems to forget that standing up for what’s right requires the courage to identify what and who are wrong. The State Department offered a platitude: “Tunisia must not squander its democratic gains. The United States will continue to stand on the side of Tunisia’s democracy.”
Coming from an administration that proclaims itself a global guardian of democratic values, such rhetoric isn’t simply unserious but immoral. Autocratic regimes from Beijing to Moscow and Tunis will note the milquetoast response and smile. Tunisia was becoming a rare success story of the Arab Spring, a nation that showed democracy, Islam, and secularism could coexist. But if Saied is allowed to skate his way into dictatorship, he’ll quickly find unprincipled allies. The United Arab Emirates is likely to throw its support behind a Saied autocracy.
Biden must not sacrifice America’s commitment to Tunisia’s democratic future. He should condemn Saied’s action and threaten swift financial pain and other consequences for any failure to restore Tunisia’s democracy promptly.
