International Influences on Tunisian Democratisation

Name: International Influences on Tunisian Democratisation
Price: 200 AUD
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ISBN: 9781399511612

Pietro Marzo

$200

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Edinburgh University Press
09 April 2026

Comparative politics; Liberalism & centre democratic ideologies; Geopolitics

This book focuses on international influences and global factors that surrounded Ben Ali's regime breakdown and the democratization process in Tunisia. Relying on extensive fieldwork, the research explores the interplay between international and national actors and presents two main arguments. First, it shows that although Western states officially remained allies of Ben Ali until the end of his regime (1987-2011), democracy promoters and international actors supported interactions and connections among Tunisian individuals with critical views of Ben Ali. These activities fostered the emergence of alternative centres of power and would-be political coalitions, which eventually weakened the internal and external legitimacy of the Ben Ali regime.

Second, the book argues that between 2011 and 2021 international assistance helped Tunisian transitional elites to build a procedural democracy. Yet foreign assistance and democracy promotion failed to boost more substantive aspects of democratization, indirectly contributing to the rise of popular disillusion with democracy.

By: Pietro Marzo
Imprint: Edinburgh University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9781399511612
ISBN 10: 1399511610
Pages: 208
Publication Date: 09 April 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Pietro Marzo is Assistant Professor at TELUQ University, Quebec Canada. He is an affiliated member of the Interdisciplinary Centre of Research for Africa and Middle East at Laval University. He has published several articles and book chapters on Tunisian politics, on the international relations of the MENA region and on research methodology.