Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Countries in transition have no choice but to open up their political system. Excluding and marginalizing Islamists out of fear will only strengthen their popular appeal.
By holding largely peaceful elections just ten months after the fall of its long-time dictator, the country credited with sparking the waves of protest that swept the Arab world is serving as an example to the rest of the region.
While reforming education in the emerging democracies of the Middle East may prove more challenging than political democratization, without it, the future of democracy will remain tenuous at best.
In countries like Syria and Libya, where the situation is still fluid and tumultuous, Tunisia provides a great example of how a transitional election should unfold.
If successful, the Tunisian elections could provide a model for other countries in the region that are experiencing political transitions.
Extending the customs union between Turkey and the EU to countries in the Middle East and North Africa would make establishing a free trade area across the Mediterranean much simpler and eliminate disincentives to trade and investment.
Ruling elites in the Arab world should not conclude that an apparent lessening of public support for protests means that they can return to the status quo.
Leaders have fallen in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya amid the Arab Awakening, and calls for revolution continue across the region. But how much real change can actually be expected?
Given the economic problems facing both sides of the Atlantic, Europe and the United States can best support democratic transitions in Arab countries through enhanced trade agreements that improve market access and maximize job-promoting reforms.
The transitional governments in both Egypt and Tunisia must negotiate with their respective political parties and protesters to forge an understanding of what must be done in the next few months and what will have to wait until after elections.