Congress pushes Tunisia aid compact to counter Trump cuts
The fledgling North African democracy is dispatching dignitaries to argue for a multi-year memorandum of understanding to help combat terrorism and social unrest.
Tunisian officials are banking on Congress to boost US support for their fledgling democracy amid lethargic interest from the Donald Trump administration.
Pending appropriations legislation in the Senate calls on the US government to jump-start negotiations on a multi-year, bilateral aid package similar to the ones the United States has with other key allies such as Israel and Jordan. The push for more economic and security assistance is a key plank of Tunisian lobbying efforts, with dignitaries from across the political spectrum urging Washington not to abandon the only country where the Arab Spring protests were a success.
“We support any improved collaboration and cooperation between the United States and Tunisia, especially in the field of economic development and security,” Abdelkarim Harouni, the chairman of the Shura Council to Tunisia’s Islamist Ennahda movement and a former minister of transportation, told Al-Monitor during a visit to Washington this week. Ennahda is part of a governing coalition with Nidaa Tunis, Tunisia’s largest secular party.
The report accompanying the Senate bill directs the secretaries of state and defense to submit a report to Congress “assessing the feasibility of establishing a multi-year MOU [memorandum of understanding]” with Tunisia within 45 days of the bill becoming law. The report argues that an MOU would “provide greater predictability required to consolidate democratic and economic gains, and combat terrorism, in Tunisia.”
