Soldiers of democracy? The Tunisian military and the presidential coup

Although long hailed for its professionalism, the Tunisian military aided President Kais Saied’s power grab on July 25, 2021, by shuttering the parliament. Military courts have since prosecuted dissidents, while the country backslides toward authoritarianism.

In his new book, “Soldiers of Democracy? Military Legacies and the Arab Spring,” Brookings Nonresident Fellow Sharan Grewal examines the Tunisian military’s role in Saied’s coup, showing how the military’s norms, interests, and politics have shaped its behavior.

On July 25, two years after the coup, the Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings hosted a virtual discussion on the findings from Grewal’s new book and the evolution of Tunisia’s military. Expert panelists examined key questions such as why the military agreed to close the parliament, how civil-military relations are shifting today, and the implications for U.S. policy.

Join the conversation on Twitter with #TunisiaMilitary.