WASHINGTON DC

*CANCELLED* Can Tunisia Be an Island of Stability and Democracy in the MENA Region?

Presented by the Wilson Center Middle East Program

Since 2011, Tunisia has made tremendous progress on the path of building the first real and stable democracy in the Arab World.  This has not been easy and has required great efforts at dialogue, consensus-building, and national reconciliation between the various political parties, leaders, and civil society.  Sheikh Rached Ghannouchi, President of the moderate Islamist Ennahda Party, has taken the lead in this effort, and has urged his opponents and supporters alike to compromise for the sake of national unity and building a successful democracy.  Why has Tunisia succeeded?  Are moderate Islamists and secularists in other Arab countries ready to learn from the Tunisian experience?   Can a successful democracy in the Arab World help to turn back the wave of violence and extremism that is threatening the whole region?

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