Tunisia’s transition to democracy has not prevented a wave of violent extremism. Radical jihadist ideas and socioeconomic frustrations are still present in society and must be tackled.

Many researchers have stressed the link between authoritarianism and radicalization in the Middle East and North Africa. They argue that authoritarian repression fuels violent extremism and recommend support for democratic transitions as a step to prevent it.

However, the case of Tunisia after the fall of former president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali’s regime in 2011 seems to challenge this assumption.

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Europe’s External Action and the Dual Challenges of Limited Statehood and Contested Orders (EU-Listco) project is being funded under the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme and will run from March 2018 through February 2021. It investigates the challenges posed to European foreign policy by identifying risks connected to areas of limited statehood and contested orders.

To know more on EU-LISTCO, visit the project’s website here.

For more information on the Roberst Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies project’s component, visit the dedicated webpage here.