An article
in the Washington Post
called on
US President Joe Biden to stand firmly with democracy in Tunisia, reminding him that the great struggle between democracy and tyranny is the most important battle of the modern era.
The newspaper's writer, Josh Rogen, said in an article that the Biden administration's reactions so far seem either unwilling or unable to do much "because we are watching the fall of democracies all over the world during his reign," adding that time has not yet run out in Tunisia for American action.
The writer drew attention to the fact that when Biden hosted former Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi at his home in Washington in 2015, he stressed the importance the United States attaches to ensuring the success of democracy in Tunisia.
Carefully crafted feedback
Rogaine cited the US administration's reactions to what is happening in Tunisia, noting that the White House and the State Department issued statements on Monday that were "carefully crafted to avoid taking sides," such as White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki's statement that Washington was "concerned about developments in Tunisia." It is in contact with Tunisian leaders "to learn more about the situation, urge calm, and support Tunisian efforts to move forward in line with democratic principles."
Rogen commented on the statements of various US officials that they ignore the identification of forces that the Biden administration believes represent democracy.
"This is much less than I hope to see from the United States government," said Sarah Yerkes, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace who has also worked at the State Department and at the Pentagon. "It's clear that American officials are waiting to see how things go before making any strong statements."
He added that, on the other hand, American legislators and experts who oppose the Tunisian president's actions argue that the Biden administration's refusal to clearly condemn Said's authoritarian moves will encourage him, as well as weaken the forces within the country that defend the constitutional separation of powers that has so far preserved Tunisia's 10-year experience with rule. Democrat.
before it gets out of control
The writer pointed out that Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told him during an interview, "This is where the movement of the Arab world towards representative government and democracy began, and it is clear that reluctance to confront aggression will eliminate this movement. The United States and Western democracies should all be in Tunisia, on the ground, and stop this before it gets out of hand."
Rogaine also said that administration sources told him they were waiting to see how the volatile situation in Tunisia would end and hoped to work with Saied rather than alienate him.
The writer commented, “The Biden team appears to follow the rules of the Obama administration, which preferred to send strict messages in secret and believed that public threats were counterproductive. But this did not work in Egypt in 2013, when Abdel Fattah al-Sisi launched a military coup and Washington avoided doing anything except Too late".
If Washington gets away
But the good news now, says the author, is that there is still time for the United States and other Western governments to convince Saied that moving forward with a power grab will not be good for him, noting that the United States has as much influence in Tunisia as the Millennium Challenge Corporation agreement that Finally signed for $500 million.
He concluded by saying that if Washington refuses to intervene in this issue, other countries that support the coup and fear what a healthy and effective democracy in the Arab world might mean to their dictators will likely fill the void.