EP94: Kais Saied

Kais Saied has been the President of Tunisia since 2019. Just a few short years ago, Saied was a constitutional law professor, and Tunisia was seen as the only success story of the uprisings known as the Arab Spring. Now, Tunisia is slipping back into autocracy.

Why didn’t Tunisia’s flirtation with democracy work? Should we be surprised it didn’t work? What lessons do the last twelve years hold for other countries- and indeed, for future generations of Tunisians? These are the questions my guest and I grapple with today.

My guest today is Sarah Yerkes. Sarah has extensive experience studying and working in Tunisia, having worked as a Foreign Affairs Officer and Policy Planner at the US State Department. Now, Sarah is a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.