| dc.description.abstract | The subject of this thesis is the US-Tunisia relationship in the period from 2003 to 2010. It is the period that ended with the Revolution of Dignity and Freedom in Tunisia in late 2010 to early 2011. The Tunisian Revolution attracted major interest of academic historiography and journalism, which appeared in the post-Revolution period. Among the discussions on the reasons, causes and events that led to the uprising, a perception pertinent to the US-Tunisia relations was also prevalent. The perception that the US interest for what was happening in the country, in the period of main concern here, was degraded and supportive to the Tunisian autocratic regime. The arguments supporting this perception were rather based on the impetus of the established stereotypes about the past US-Tunisia relations, according to the wide view of US foreign policies focused on the Middle East and North Africa region. Nevertheless, the reality of the relations evolved in situ in the post-September 11 period to the Revolution, as it is shown in this thesis, proves the contrary: the US concern, attention and involvement in what was happening in Tunisia in that period was neither degraded nor supportive in favour of Ben Ali’s regime. The US was there, active, and constantly pressuring in situ the regime for democratisation and respect of freedoms. Maybe this US involvement was not always resonant outside Tunisia but not at all degraded. To prove this, the use of the WikiLeaks Tunis Cables is of major importance. Properly mined and used as primary sources of close view information lead to new knowledge about the US-Tunisia relations. Despite the impact of few already well-known Cables, describing the abuses and corruption of the Tunisian regime, used and reused mostly by the media and in lesser extent in academic research, the selected Cables analysed in this research are not well known. The Cables as history-telling primary sources add new insight on yet unrevealed facts about the US-Tunisia relations in the 2000-2010 period illuminating unknown aspects that contradict established views about these relations.
An overview of the US-Tunisia relations in the second half of the twentieth century, after the country’s Independence in 1957, provides the general background. The main part of the thesis is the formation of eight interacting topics related to the period 2003-2010 and shaped by the original content of the selected Cables, which become sources of scholar research. The actions and reactions by the US and the Tunisian government regarding important but lesser known events and crises during that period are thus put in evidence. | |
