Sarah Yerkes:
So, I don’t want to yet put sort of democracy in a coffin.
I think Tunisia’s democracy still has a fighting chance. I think, if we look at the way these protests are being reported upon, the way that people are allowed to go into the streets, the way that people can criticize the government, they can go out there and call this a coup, and they’re not getting arrested, that shows that democracy is alive and that it is functioning.
Now, this is a major threat to Tunisia’s democracy. I think, when we look back at this in six months, maybe even a month, I might have something different to say. Maybe the democracy will have kind of ended.
But, for now, I do think that we should still consider that democracy is alive. And we need to protect it. The United States Europe, other democracies need to stand up and protect Tunisia’s democracy while it is still alive.
