Thomas Patrick DeGeorges

Tunisia’s “Second Republic”: Uncertain Prospects for Political Consolidation and Economic Growth

Abstract:
As Tunisia emerges from the first full year after the ouster of former President Ben Ali in January 2011, the global community is watching with eagerness and apprehension for signs that the country has definitively turned the page on years of authoritarianism and economic cronyism. Dr. DeGeorges will address the major political and economic developments since the revolution in his talk, including the elections for the constitutional assembly in October, the turbulent economic situation across the country, and the relationship between Tunisia and its powerful neighbors in the European Union and the Maghreb.

Biographical Note:
Dr. Thomas DeGeorges is currently an Assistant Professor of Gulf Studies and International Relations at the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. Dr. DeGeorges has a long-standing academic interest in Tunisia due to the time he spent conducting doctoral research there on the social history of Tunisian veterans. Last year, as director of the Centre d'Etudes Maghrèbines à Tunis (CEMAT), Dr. DeGeorges witnessed the events of January 2011 and their aftermath first-hand. He is currently editing the second edition of Scarecrow Press's Historical Dictionary of Tunisia and has also presented research conducted during the Tunisian revolution on its martyrs.