Tunisia: Between control and liberalization

Despite Tunisia's reputation as a stable, dependable partner of the West, the recent resurgence of the Islamist movement in the Maghreb has given rise to uncertainty concerning the future. Alongside efforts to tackle the social and economic causes of discontent, the authorities have taken coercive and restrictive measures that stand in the path of democratization, to which many Tunisians aspire. An important opportunity to integrate the Islamists in a competitive democracy was lost in the late 1980s. Although they are currently less in evidence, the problems have not gone away and the country has felt the effects of the conflict in Algeria. Tunisia's social and economic achievements have been substantial, but the appeal of the Islamic radicals remains considerable. Their persisting challenge is not conducive to an ending of one‐party dominance, notwithstanding the election of opposition deputies in 1994.