Along the border between Tunisia and Libya, informal trade agreements led to a tight-knit border economy. But political changes in both Libya and Tunisia have fundamentally altered the economic and security landscape.
Smuggling goods across the border between Algeria and Tunisia has created a parallel economy for marginalized border populations. Law enforcement and smugglers alike must navigate these gray zones in state authority.
The escalation and spillover of Libya's conflict has posed mounting security challenges for Tunisia and exposed shortfalls in the country's defense transformation, in the areas of capability gaps, interagency coordination, intelligence sharing, strategic planning, and in the military's relationship with foreign security patrons.
The Islamist political party Ennahda has decided to focus on politics over preaching. This shift has forced it to rebuild its legitimacy on argument rather than religion.
Understanding Algeria’s various Islamist communities—including militant groups, moderate factions, and grassroots movements—offers a window into the country’s uncertain sociopolitical future.
Tunisia’s decentralization process has tremendous potential. Yet the central government, local government, civil society, and international donors must each invest in the process.
Morocco’s Party of Justice and Development sought to show that it is possible to carve out a larger role for government while remaining loyal to the palace.
Corruption is a destabilizing force in Tunisia, infecting all levels of its economy, security, and political system.
More than six years after the revolution that ousted former president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia’s border regions remain hotbeds of social discontent and agitation.
If Tunisia’s top-down strategy to boost investment and private-sector growth is to succeed, a bottom-up approach is also needed to address the country’s most urgent challenges.