Tunisia
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A new constitution for Tunisia
From president's power grab to referendum
Based on exit polls and preliminary results for Tunisia's constitutional referendum, it looks as if the new constitution proposed by President Kais Saied will be passed. Nearly three years into his presidency, Saied has steadily tightened his grip on power. The timeline below outlines the key events of the past two years that led to Monday's referendum
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Referendum on a new constitution for Tunisia
Rolling back the achievements of the revolution
Tunisians are set to vote on a new constitution on 25 July. The prominent lawyer and women's rights activist Yosra Frawes fears the referendum could facilitate a return to dictatorship. This would also endanger progress on women's rights achieved since 2011. Interview by Claudia Mende for qantara.de
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The Middle East's "Axis of Failure"
Arab autocrats – ruining their own states
In "Die Achse des Scheiterns", Rainer Hermann of Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung explains with refreshing clarity what is currently going wrong in the Arab world. Wolfgang Freund read the book
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Algeria at 60
No more lethargy – Algiers’ passive foreign policy is over
For the first time since 1989, Algeria‘s authoritarian regime has sent a military parade marching through Algiers. A formidable show of strength designed to impress rival regional powers, the event also sought to highlight the country’s own stance on Israel and Palestine. By Sofian Philip Naceur
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Birthplace of the Arab Spring
Tunisia: a young democracy in peril
Tunisian President Kais Saied is consolidating his authoritarian rule, while Europe stands idly by and misses opportunities to exert influence. Analysis by Isabelle Werenfels
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Tunisia struggles to grow more wheat as Ukraine war bites
Since the Ukraine war sent global cereal prices soaring, import-dependent Tunisia has announced a push to grow all its own durum wheat, the basis for local staples like couscous and pasta. The small North African country, like its neighbours, is desperate to prevent food shortages and social unrest – but for farmers on the sun-baked plains north of Tunis, even the basics are problematic
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Jewish pilgrimage to Tunisia
Faith meets politics on Djerba
A Jewish festival at the historic synagogue on Djerba island in Tunisia is often touted as a successful example of Jewish-Muslim coexistence. Yet, as Kerstin Knipp writes, political tensions still play a role
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Kais Saied's creeping coup
Who will save Tunisia's democracy now?
Tunisia's president has been carrying out a coup by degrees, demolishing the country's hard-fought democratic gains bit by bit. With an economy in turmoil and a splintered opposition, is there anybody that can stop him?
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Ukraine and Tunisia's looming wheat crisis
Becoming toast?
Tunisia’s food situation is looking increasingly precarious. The country relies on large volumes of subsidised imports to ensure sufficient, as well as affordable, quantities of bread for its citizens. Russia's invasion of the Ukraine is set to hit pockets hard. By Hamza Meddeb
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Ramadan
Tunisia TV series sparks polygamy row
A Ramadan TV series dealing with polygamy has sparked a heated debate in Tunisia, an Arab pioneer in women's rights that banned the practice decades ago
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Middle East
A new Arab Spring, thanks to the Ukraine war?
The price of bread is rising rapidly in the Middle East, thanks to concerns about wheat supply from Ukraine and Russia. In the past, such increases have led to violent protests and political upheaval. By Cathrin Schaer
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Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon
Sentenced for a selfie: police target LGBTQ+ phones
An in-depth study of court files has found that police forces in Tunisia, Egypt, and Lebanon are increasingly relying on digital tools to identify, entrap and prosecute LGBTQ+ people – thus "intensifying anti-queer surveillance". The study reveals the extent that the safety of LGBQT+ people in the Middle East can be compromised by their digital footprint