Tunisia: Understanding Conflict 2012 - Johns Hopkins School of ...

openly sharing in the media their plans for improving Tunisia’s image to investors
and their efforts made for creating new jobs. One step would to be to launch a
modest job creation plan and inform Tunisians on the step-by-step progress
being made.
• Given the countries’ worsening economic environment, the government needs to
bolster its security presence, and assertively stop illegal strikes in the interior of
the country and disruptive protests by the salafists. It is understandable that the
Ben Ali regime has made the government uneasy about using police to crack down on
disorderly fringe movements. But the longer the government waits to fully secure and
stabilize the country, the more foreign investment and confidence will diminish.
• Currently the youth are not as active in party politics as the older generations. The
parties, with assistance from international donors and NGOs, should continue to
organize workshops and training to build youth wings and encourage youth
participation.
• The government needs to start the trials against those responsible for the
murders during December 2010 to January 2011. There are still many people in
the interior of the country who are disillusioned that the government has yet to bring
to trial those who murdered their compatriots. The justice and reconciliation process
will be long and daunting, but it is now the responsibility of the government to
regain the trust of those who sacrificed everything they had to change society.
Just commencing this process alone could be enough to win over the current
dissenters in the region and buy enough time to enact meaningful reform as this
region remains plagued by economic hardship.
• More support, from both the government and international donors, can be given
to aid programs that foster entrepreneurship. It is time that Tunisia’s youth
become self sufficient and stop relying on the government to solve all of their
problems. Given the proper motivation, training, and financial assistance, youth could
be encouraged to create their own jobs rather than wait for the government to do so.
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