Middle East & North Africa

Tunisia has a good chance to become a democratic, peaceful and stabil state, and a good example for the whole region. However, this development will be at risk, if the government does not meet the population’s high expectations to find a quick solution for the social problems, said Hamadi Jebali, Prime Minister of Tunisia, during his speech at the DGAP on March 14th, 2012. Therefore, the West has to design a “Marshall Plan” to support his country in the creation of new jobs.

Iran’s nuclear program is not just a threat to Israel. Teheran’s claim to a great power status are of a global scope. This was the conclusion of the discussion group. Guest speaker was David Harris, Executive Director of the American Jewish Committee (AJC). Beyond that the upheavals in North Africa made an adjustment of Israel’s security strategy necessary.

One year after the toppling of presidents Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak, developments regarding gender equality in Tunisia and Egypt are sobering. In Egypt, only two percent of the recently elected members of parliament are female and even liberal, secular parties lacked many female candidates. Ongoing developments, especially the strengthening of Islamist parties, suggest that things will probably get worse before getting better.