Monica Marks

Tunisia in North Africa was the birthplace of the Arab Spring, a wave of popular uprisings that shook or toppled authoritarian regimes in the region. But, after a decade of fragile democracy, in 2019 a new strongman, President Kais Saied, swept to power. He directed his campaign at young Tunisians, promising an end to corruption. There was optimism but the Covid pandemic had battered the economy and exposed - as it did in many other countries - the weaknesses of the health system. Mr Saied insisted Tunisia's democratic system was not working so he used emergency powers to sack the prime minister, close the National Assembly and suspend the constitution - essentially paving the way to rule by decree.Last week one of Tunisia’s most prominent opposition leaders, Rached Ghannouchi, who is also the leader of Tunisia’s largest political party, was imprisoned. He's the latest in a long line of critics jailed by the president. So, is this the final nail in the coffin for Tunisia’s fledgling democracy? What is President’s Saied’s vision? And what, if anything, can the world do to prevent the Arab Spring's one success story joining its long list of failures?Shaun Ley is joined by:Nadia Marzouki, a political scientist and tenured researcher at Sciences Po in ParisGhazi Ben Ahmed, a Tunisian economist and the founder of the Brussels-based think-tank Mediterranean Development Initiative Monica Marks, assistant professor of Middle East politics at New York University in Abu Dhabi Also featuring: Yusra Ghannouchi, the daughter of Rached Ghannouchi Nabil Ammar, the Tunisian Foreign Minister Elizia Volkmann, journalist in TunisPhoto: The 67th anniversary of Tunisia's Independence, Tunis - 20 Mar 2023 Credit: MOHAMED MESSARA/EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockProduced by Pandita Lorenz and Rumella Dasgupta

Mark Lowen, a seasoned BBC correspondent, brings insider knowledge of Turkey's tumultuous protests. Joining him is Ziya Meral, an expert on Turkish politics, and Monica Marks, a scholar specializing in Middle Eastern dynamics. Together, they delve into the political upheaval surrounding Istanbul's mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, and the implications of his arrest. The discussion reveals the erosion of civil liberties, the rise of a charismatic opposition, and the shifting power dynamics as Turkey approaches pivotal elections. Can democracy survive amidst escalating unrest?