The US-Tunisian relations go back to a long history. The first friendship and trade agreement between the two countries was concluded in 1799, and the United States was the first major country to recognize Tunisia’s sovereignty and establish diplomatic relations with it as a country that emerged from French colonialism in 1956.
Washington supported the democratic transition in the wake of the revolution that toppled former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Although it was calling on him to retract his steps and measures, the US administration refrains from describing Saeed as a coup or tyrant, as his opponents describe him.
A number of former diplomats, American researchers and activists had sent a message to US President Joe Biden through Freedom House, stating that Tunisian democracy serves the American interest, and demanded that he support Tunisian democracy as well as his administration's support for Ukrainian democracy.
According to the Executive Director of the Libyan-American Alliance, Mongi Al-Thawadi, the US administration was calling on Saeed to reverse the coup (and does not describe him as such), but the positions of this administration suggest that it does not take the Tunisian crisis seriously, and does not care about the Tunisian file because Tunisia does not constitute a priority for American interests. , and because it does not have reserves of oil and gas.
In the opinion of the former US ambassador to Tunisia, Gordon Gray, Tunisia is a concern to the US administration, but it does not represent a priority for it like Ukraine, but he called for the Americans to pay attention to the Tunisian file because it has repercussions on the borders of Tunisia.
Interest in helping Ukraine
And the former ambassador refused - in his speech to an episode of "From Washington" (23/6/2022) program - to cut US aid to Tunisia because this would harm Tunisian society, and because this step would not affect Said's accounts.
As for the former US ambassador to Ukraine, John Herbst, he believed that his country had always been the main actor in the Arab region, but Tunisia showed that it was shy about dealing with the food crisis created by Russia's blockade of Ukraine, as well as the countries of the region in general.
He said the United States has a vital security interest in helping Ukraine and an interest in promoting democracy in Tunisia, but to a lesser extent.
The Executive Director of the Libyan-American Alliance responded by saying that the interests of the United States, the interests of Tunisia, and the interests of the Middle East and North Africa converge with the existence and consolidation of democracy and respect for human rights.