Perspectives from the Region and Europe (Workshop I)
Tunisia continues to be plagued by the persistence of grave socio-economic disparities - a key driver of the public upheavals in 2011. Due to the governments’ inability to address these issues dissatisfaction with the political process has been growing. The assassination of political figures Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi in 2013, several deadly terrorist attacks as well as the high number of Tunisian foreign fighters who have traveled to Syria, Libya and Iraq have shaken the country in its core. To tackle the problem of radicalization, a holistic approach is needed that includes the reform of the security sector, a stronger focus on preventive and deradicalization measures, improving employment opportunities for young Tunisians and greater political participation.
In light of continuing reform efforts as well as the multitude of challenges the country is confronted with, 14 mid-level experts who work in the field of policy analysis and advice in think tanks, academic research institutions, or comparable organizations from Tunisia, Turkey and Europe took part in the four-day workshop and developed policy recommendations to tackle key challenges regarding Tunisia’s security sector reform, (de)radicalization and the socio-economic development of the country.
The workshop is part of the MENA Program’s project on the promotion of think tank work in the Middle East and North Africa, which aims to strengthen the scientific and technical capacities of civil society actors in the region and the EU who are engaged in research and policy analysis and advice.
The workshop was realized in close cooperation with the Tunisian think tank Joussour and with the funding of the German Federal Foreign Office, the Institute for International Cultural Relations (ifa), and the Robert Bosch Stiftung.
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