Troubling recent developments in two countries give insight into the declining influence of the United States.
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Left: Venezuela’s president Nicolas Maduro speaks at a ceremony in Caracas, Venezuela, April 20, 2023. Right: Tunisia’s president Kais Saied gestures as he arrives for the first day of a European Union-African Union summit in Brussels, Belgium, February 17, 2022.
Leonardo Fernandez Viloria, John Thys/Reuters
In the past week, the cause of democracy and respect for human rights suffered two great setbacks.
In Tunisia, the deepening dictatorship of President Kais Saied took the significant step of arresting and jailing the leader of the opposition, 81-year-old Rached Ghannouchi. Ghannouchi is the long-time leader of the Ennahda Party and was the speaker of parliament — which was shut down in 2021 by Saied.
About the Author
Elliott Abrams is a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and served in the Reagan, George W. Bush, and Trump administrations.
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In the past week, the cause of democracy and respect for human rights suffered two great setbacks.
In Tunisia, the deepening dictatorship of President Kais Saied took the significant step of arresting and jailing the leader of the opposition, 81-year-old Rached Ghannouchi. Ghannouchi is the long-time leader of the Ennahda Party and was the speaker of parliament — which was shut down in 2021 by Saied.
About the Author
Elliott Abrams is a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and served in the Reagan, George W. Bush, and Trump administrations.
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