NEW YORK — Amongst so much bleak news from the Arab world this week, Tunisian President Mohamed Moncef Marzouki tried to paint a picture of his nation and the North African Maghreb as bright spots in a region otherwise descending into darkness. He actually succeeded in doing so, at least occasionally.
A medical doctor and human rights advocate, Marzouki was once held in solitary confinement by the previous president, criminal dictator Ben Ali. Now, Marzouki is cautiously but firmly moving Tunisia toward a more democratic future — maybe! He took great pride in the fact that the preamble to Tunisia’s constitution now codifies equal rights for women. Translating this into reality on the street, however, will be quite a different proposition.
“We still have a problem with violence against women,” he said. Now that’s an understatement.
He was asked why, despite high-profile political assassinations in 2013 and other major troubles, Tunisia seems to be avoiding most of the calamities and turmoil to its east. He offered at least three reasons:
First, as he candidly put it, “We have no oil.” This means the West is simply less interested in Tunisia.
Next, he asserted that “the Maghreb is stable and peaceful,” although one has to be skeptical about Algeria in this regard. Marzouki insisted, “Our Algerian brothers are stable. We have good relations with them, and we need that.” Adding that the Maghreb, the area west of Egypt, is “the most stable part of the Arab world” provides only cold comfort. To his east, however, Marzouki said that “Libya is a heavy burden on our shoulders,” with two million Libyan refugees flooding a nation of only 11 million people.
Finally, he said Tunisia has higher education levels than most Arab nations and a reasonable middle class eager to avoid sectarian violence.
A reporter asked him whether the relative absence of U.S. military and commercial interests also helps Tunis avoid political complications, both with internal populations and other Arab nations. He reluctantly agreed, while nonetheless reinforcing his ongoing desire for U.S. business investments in Tunisia’s energy, finance and agriculture sectors.
It was interesting to observe the president’s practice of letting his senior officials — including one female minister — answer some questions, too.
Regrettably, too many people in leadership positions enjoy the sound of their own, often out-of-touch voices. One minister accepted the delicacy of Marzouki’s deference by noting, “The president knows these answers, he just likes to showcase us.” How rare! It’s called leadership. Marzouki’s leadership may itself provide a rare oasis of hope in the troubled desert of today’s Arab world. Let’s hope it’s not just another mirage.
Jessica C. McWade is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, where she participated in meetings with various heads of state this week. She is also past president of the World Affairs Council of Boston. “As You Were Saying” is a regular Herald feature. We invite readers to submit guest columns of no more than 600 words. Email to oped@bostonherald.com. Columns are subject to editing and become Herald property.