Two Paris-based Arab writers called upon the US Administration in its push for democracy in the Middle East to "reflect upon the Tunisian experience as it is worthy of much consideration". In an op-ed piece published by major French daily "Le Figaro" (www.lefigaro.com), philosophy professor Mezri Haddad and magazine editor and author Antoine Sfeir say Washington's pursuit of the "Greater Middle East Project" can be easily understood considering that the region suffers from two major ills, "religious fundamentalism and political nepotism". But the authors express their fear that "the democratic domino effect sought by US neoconservatives could turn into a nightmarish snowball pattern serving the objectives of Islamist totalitarianism." The writers see therefore a "great dilemma" for the US Administration in its attempt at "spreading democracy throughout the Arab world while making sure this virtuous dynamic benefits democrats and not theocrats.""In this regard, it would be perhaps useful to reflect upon the Tunisian experience as it is worthy of much consideration," argue the authors who explain that from their point of view "the American project aimed at democratizing the Arab-Muslim world, getting rid of the fundamentalist virus, anchoring a culture of tolerance, and achieving women's liberation doe in fact vindicate Tunisia's strategic choices." Sfeir and Haddad explain that "the various reforms advocated by the United States for the purpose of eliminating the inherent causes of religious fundamentalism, have already been achieved in Tunisia".
Tunisia's multi-dimensional approach to fighting fundamentalist extremism has been the subject of much attention in international media in recent years. In its last issue, "The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs" (www.wrmea.com) points out that "Tunisia's anti-poverty drive -along with such other factors as educational reform, democratization, promotion of the rights of women and the separation of religion from politics — was instrumental in defeating a radical fundamentalist movement in the early 90's". According to Mezri Haddad and Antoine Sfeir, fighting fundamentalist radicalism did not divert the attention of Ben Ali from pursuing the "decisive" objective of "anchoring democracy" based on the understanding that democracy is a comprehensive and gradual process; it is not an ex-nihilo kind of creation."
The other corollaries of the Ben Ali democracy-building approach are that "there is no democracy without a minimum of social well-being and economic prosperity" and that "there is no democratic culture without the separation of the religious from the political, without the existence of a civil society, without the secularization of education, and without the liberation of women." Despite limited resources Tunisia has achieved a steady economic growth of about 5% since 1987. Its middle class spans 80% of society while the poverty rate was reduced to 4% of the population. Based on their observations, the authors argue that "The Tunisian experience might not be perfect, but can nonetheless serve already as a paradigm for all Arab-Muslim countries desiring, whether by choice, fear or constraint, to undertake homegrown reforms."
Sfeir and Haddad also note that recent positions taken by President Ben Ali, such as his pro-reform stands during the Arab Summit held in Tunis in May 2004, and the invitation of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to participate in the World Summit on the Information Society reflect an "ambition to be a regenerative force in the Arab world".