Tunisia

Safwan M. Masri explores the factors that have shaped Tunisia's exceptional experience, arguing that its history of reformism set it on a separate trajectory from the rest of the region. Based on interviews with experts, leaders, activists, and citizens, Masri's account is critical for understanding not only Tunisia but also the broader Arab world.

Safwan M. Masri is Executive Vice President for Global Centers and Global Development at Columbia University. He holds a senior research scholar appointment at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs and is an honorary fellow of the Foreign Policy Association. Previously vice dean of Columbia Business School, he earned his Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1988. Masri lives in New York and Amman.

Lee C. Bollinger, president of Columbia University:
This is a book that demanded to be written. Clearly, one of the great questions of our time is why some democratic movements succeed while others fail, either at birth or through erosion over time. And the story, and example, of Tunisia is at the core of that critical inquiry. Masri brings to the telling and the analysis of this modern tale of democracy what virtually no other author could: the lived knowledge of both the Arab and American worlds, a deep sensitivity to the evolution of societies, and a passion to understand what is on the surface, at least, a contemporary mystery of societal development.

L. Carl Brown, Princeton University:
Drawing on Tunisia’s rich history, Safwan Masri offers a convincing interpretation of why Tunisia has succeeded while other Arab states have not.

Brinkley Messick, Columbia University:
Safwan M. Masri offers an informed history and an astute assessment of the case of Tunisia, specifically focusing on the country’s distinctive blend of modern Islam and secular democracy. He provides an extended and authoritative contemplation and a unique synthesis of the phenomenon that is Tunisia.

Yadh Ben Achour, Professor at Carthage University​,​ Former President of the High Authority of the Revolution (Tunisia​), and Member of the United Nations Human Rights Committee:
Masri’s work shines both through his incisive points of view and comprehensive factual data without losing itself in the details. No decisive phase of Tunisian history escapes him...Tunisia: ​An Arab Anomaly is an exciting work for those who want to understand the deep meaning of the political and social upheavals of the whole Arab world, using Tunisia as a lens.

Roula Khalaf, Deputy Editor, Financial Times :
Why did Tunisia’s Arab Spring experience succeed when others have failed? Drawing on Tunisia’s history of modernism, independent thought, and, most crucially, a progressive education system, Safwan Masri demonstrates that the country has a unique identity that sets it apart from the rest of the region, and accounts for a diverse culture and a spirit of moderation. Richly researched and analyzed, and based on a compelling historical narrative, this is a provocative book that will make a valuable contribution to the understanding of North Africa and to the body of work on the modern Arab world.

David Ignatius, Washington Post:
A wise and carefully drawn analysis of one of the mysteries of the Arab Spring. Safwan M. Masri explains why Tunisia, where the revolt germinated, has been the only country to give birth to a real democracy. In examining why Tunisia succeeded, Masri shows why other Arab countries failed. They lacked Tunisia’s culture of tolerance, moderation, and coexistence, which had been nurtured by decades of educational and social policy. Bottom line: Democracy needs deep roots, which sadly don’t exist in most of the Arab world.