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Updates on Tunisia and Syria

Protests in Tunisia
After igniting the Arab Spring seven years ago, Tunisia has stood out as an example of democracy and stability in the tumultuous environment of the Middle East. Although people often regard Tunisia as an Arab Spring success story, there have recently been protests spreading throughout the country that question its stability and economic well-being.
Seven years have passed since the start of the Arab Spring, yet many Tunisians still live in poor conditions, awaiting new policies to shift the economic tide of their country. Starting on January 7th, Tunisian citizens began gathering on the streets to protest the corruption and instability of their government, pushing for more welfare and better living conditions.
Although the Tunisian government has promised better economic standings through reallocation of their funds, some citizens still do not trust their political leaders and are protesting in an interesting way--dressing up as clowns. By doing this, the protesters show that they do not believe the government’s jokes and lies; they want to see real changes, not just talk.
The protests started off peaceful, but they are starting to become more violent and dangerous, often involving conflicts between police forces and civilians. In response to the uproar of protestors, the government said that they would amp up their welfare system by providing more monetary support and medical aid for the needy. This welfare policy will cost about 70 million dinar, and it is still unclear on how it will be funded. Civilians wait to see if these plans will come to fruition, hoping for some positive results from their 2011 revolution.
Border Security in Syria
Recently, the United States has developed a border security force between Syria, Turkey, and Iraq. This has led to controversy about the United States’ intentions in the region and the effects on Turkish and Iraqi security.
While the United States believes that the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (also known as the YPG) is an extremely effective fighting force against ISIS and the Syrian government, other countries in the region actually view the YPG as a terrorist organization. Both Turkey and Russia condemn the United States for creating this border security force, seeing it as a threat to their countries’ safety. As mentioned in the SPECPOL background guide, the Kurdish people have had conflicts with Turkey and surrounding neighbors for several years. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has been labeled as a terrorist organization by many countries and international bodies, leading to heated debate about why the United States would use this group of people as a combat force in Syria.
Turkey continues to reinforce its borders with military troops, ready to defend their country against any possible conflicts with the new border security. Although Turkey disagrees with the United States’ recent plan, president Erdogan tells his country that he believes Turkey and the U.S. have similar goals in this region and hopes that the two countries can figure out a solution to work together.


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