The brutal attack on Tunisia’s Bardo museum that claimed at least 21 lives was an attempt by jihadists to strike a double blow at the country, both to destabilise its peaceful transition to democracy and to hit at its weak economy’s lifeblood, tourism. In the latter respect it has already been all too successful – cruise companies have already cancelled all stop-overs while Tunisian markets have fallen sharply.
Tunisia’s “jasmine revolution” in 2011 and its aftermath represent the most striking evidence of the compatibility of Muslim and democratic values, of compromise in government between moderate Islamists – the Muslim Brotherhood-linked Ennahda – and secularists, and embody what many in the Arab world see as the true spirit – albeit the only success – of the Arab Srping. Its example is in reality a greater threat to jihadism and the likes of Islamic State than the military response of authoritarian regimes that dominate the region and the empty rhetoric of what are seen as the degenerate democracies of Europe.
On Wednesday Ennahda's leader, Rachid Ghannouchi, who has long been an important figure in the Isamist world arguing that democracy and Islam can coexist, condemned the attack, insisting that it will not "undermine our revolution and our democracy."
Tunisia's path has not been easy. It has seen political violence with attacks on the security forces and the killings of two secular/left-wing politicians which have threatened the new democracy. Mass youth unemployment has driven many of its young men into the arms of jihadists with some 3,000 believed to have enlisted with radicals to fight in Libya and Syria. Tunisia is a leading source of foreign fighters for the Islamic State, and arms and fighters pour across the porous border with Libya whose conflict has cast a long shadow on Tunisia. Indeed, the two gunmen, Yassine Laabidi and Hatem Khachnaoui, were yesterday reported to have trained there.
The ease with which the gunmen operated in attacking unprotected - unprotectable? – sites like Charlie Hebdo and the Bardo does not bode well for the future. Like the killing spree at the Westgate supermarket in Kenya in 2013 in which 67 died, at relatively little cost to themselves, the jihadists can milk huge publicity internationally. Little wonder IS and others are so quick to try and associate themselves with the attacks of which we are likely to see more. Tackling such a campaign requires long-haul political and economic responses to undermine support for jihadism as much as security measures.
The Tunisian government in particular needs economic aid and support in training its security forces from Europe and other allies. It is crucial that the EU urgently and generously takes up its responsibility in this regard. The union has no better friend and ally in north Africa.