Saied’s crackdown: How the EU can stand up for human rights in Tunisia
The EU has invested heavily in Tunisia’s transition to democracy since 2011. Now it must stand up for the rule of law and for the rights of those under threat
Experts & Staff
Anthony Dworkin
Senior Policy Fellow
Areas of expertise
Human rights; democracy; justice; North Africa (especially Egypt and Tunisia); war crimes; drones and counterterrorism; US foreign policy
Languages
English, conversational French
Biography
Anthony Dworkin is senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. He leads the organisation’s work in the areas of human rights, democracy, and justice.
Among other subjects, Dworkin has conducted research and written on European and US frameworks for counterterrorism, the European Union’s human rights strategy, and the pursuit of justice in the international response to mass atrocities. Since 2011, he has also followed political developments in North Africa after the Arab uprisings, with a particular focus on Egypt and Tunisia. Before joining ECFR in 2008, Dworkin was executive director of the Crimes of War Project, an NGO that worked to raise public and media awareness of the laws governing armed conflict. He co-edited the book Crimes of War: What the Public Should Know (2nd ed., 2007) and wrote extensively for the project’s website about war crimes and contemporary conflict, in addition to conducting training sessions on the laws of war and international justice in several countries.
Dworkin has written and spoken widely on questions related to human rights, democracy, and justice. He is a contributing editor for the British magazine Prospect and has written for several other publications, including the Financial Times, The Guardian, the International Herald Tribune, the Washington Post, El País, the New Statesman, the Times Literary Supplement, Foreign Policy, and World Politics Review. He has been a member of the Terrorism/Counterterrorism Advisory Committee and the London Advocacy Advisory Committee of Human Rights Watch. Dworkin has also worked as a producer and reporter for BBC Current Affairs.
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International law and the invasion of Ukraine
Countries that have condemned Russia’s actions are not only trying to protect Ukraine and its citizens, but also defending the principle that relationships between states should be shaped by legal principles
Publications
We’ll always have Paris: How to adapt multilateral climate cooperation to new realities
Geopolitical tensions are hindering progress in multilateral climate cooperation. The EU should continue to supplement negotiations under the UN climate convention with smaller initiatives that bring together like-minded, ambitious partners.
Clear and president danger: Democracy and the constitution in Tunisia
Tunisia’s new constitution would create an unaccountable presidency. European policymakers should state that it is not genuinely democratic, while continuing to support the country economically.
North African standoff: How the Western Sahara conflict is fuelling new tensions between Morocco and Algeria
Europeans should pay closer attention to rising tensions between Morocco and Algeria. A more balanced European approach to both countries could help stave off instability in north-west Africa and the Mediterranean.
Health of nations: How Europe can fight future pandemics
The EU should promote a new global compact on health, matching countries’ commitment to surveillance and reporting of pathogens with support for stronger healthcare systems and greater equity in the allocation of countermeasures
Built to order: How Europe can rebuild multilateralism after covid-19
The covid-19 pandemic has brought forward a new agenda for multilateralism, focused on areas including global health, economic recovery, climate, technology, and trade
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To achieve greater sovereignty, Europe needs to push back against rival powers, build leverage in armed conflicts, and be more effective in supporting reform
A new transatlantic bargain: An action plan for transformation, not restoration
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North African countries, each for their own reasons, are increasingly turning their attention towards sub-Saharan Africa
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Despite the existing crises to the multilateral system, the EU possesses a set of specific strengths needed to actually save the system
Articles
Saied’s crackdown: How the EU can stand up for human rights in Tunisia
The EU has invested heavily in Tunisia’s transition to democracy since 2011. Now it must stand up for the rule of law and for the rights of those under threat
Aggression on trial: The tricky path towards prosecuting Russian war leaders
A UN-backed court could reinforce condemnation of Russia’s aggressive war and reduce Putin’s legitimacy on the international stage. But its establishment and success will depend on the commitment it receives
Laws against slaughter: The crimes that shape Russia’s war on Ukraine
Widespread violations of international humanitarian law appear to be part of the Russian way of war. The international response to such crimes could have severe geopolitical consequences for Russia.
The battle for Tunisia’s democracy
Tunisia’s president seems unwilling to compromise with his political opponents. But the EU can help set limits on his behaviour through a combination of financial assistance and public statements.
International law and the invasion of Ukraine
Countries that have condemned Russia’s actions are not only trying to protect Ukraine and its citizens, but also defending the principle that relationships between states should be shaped by legal principles
Tunisia’s lengthy road map back to democracy
Tunisia’s international partners have responded too leniently to its president’s announced programme of constitutional reform. They risk allowing him to remain over-powerful for years to come.
Americans before allies: Biden’s limited multilateralism
Biden’s approach to multilateralism is driven by his sense of what American voters and elected representatives in Congress will tolerate
The EU’s misguided export regulation on vaccines
The regulation sets a damaging precedent for trade restrictions on vaccines and undermines the EU’s credibility as a supporter of open trade
Why Europe should push Egypt to release detained human rights activists
The Egyptian regime has shown that it is prepared to give ground on individual cases or pieces of legislation in the face of concerted pressure
How a Biden win could transform US policy in the Middle East and North Africa
Victory for Joe Biden is likely to bring three big policy shifts in the region, opening new possibilities and challenges for Europeans
Specials
European Sovereignty Index
The EU can overcome the new challenges it faces and can shape the global order. To achieve this, Europeans will need to improve their joint capacity to act.
Mapping European leverage in the MENA region
Turmoil in the Middle East and north Africa directly affects Europeans. Yet their influence in the region has never been weaker. This project maps Europe’s role across the Middle East and north Africa, making the case that Europeans can do more to leverage their influence in pursuit of core interests
Podcasts
Health of Nations: How Europe can fight future pandemics
This week, ECFR senior policy fellow, Susi Dennison, takes over the podcast to talk about international cooperation on global health
The election of President Ebrahim Raisi and the future of Iran
Does the election of Raisi represent a significant change of direction following the term of President Rouhani?
What future for the transatlantic alliance?
How well does the transatlantic alliance still fit with the way that Europe and the United States now see their goals in foreign policy?
Multilateralism after covid-19
How can Europe adapt its strategies for multilateralism in this competitive world and what would they look like?
The geopolitics of a covid-19 vaccine
How do we go forward with the global distribution of covid-19 vaccines and what kind of geopolitical implications do surround this endeavour?
Europe’s role in global health & how to build European health sovereignty
“If it’s about Europe´s role in global health, a big part of it is Europe's health sovereignty which we want to make one of the…
An energizing side-effect? How covid-19 could revive multilateralism
Recently, we have seen funding cuts to the WHO in the middle of the coronavirus crisis and national governments closing borders instead of calling for…
App-solutely necessary? Technology as a way out of the coronavirus crisis
Word on the street seems to suggest that technology will be the way out of the coronavirus crisis and the lockdowns in many European countries. This…
The Berlin Libya Conference: a moment to shine for European foreign policy?
Anthony Dworkin stands in for our usual host, Mark Leonard, to de-brief the Berlin Conference on Libya. Together with the ECFR’s experts Asli Aydıntaşbaş, Tarek…
China’s 1989
Anthony Dworkin stands in for host Mark Leonard to talk about how China experienced 1989 back then and today. In some ways, it is more…
Events
31 Oct
A new climate for peace? How Europe can reconcile energy and climate security
Cinzia Bianco, Mats Engström and Anthony Dworkin were in conversation with Susi Dennison to hear how Europe can best meet its energy security interests all the while preserving its credibility as a climate superpower
19 May
After the pandemic: Health security and multilateralism at work
The covid-19 pandemic has created a new sense of urgency behind the need for multilateral action
In the media
The people of Tunisia have long been preoccupied with their desolate economic situation […] But the president is doing little about it
The current economic crisis and the president’s political actions may exacerbate the insecurity and resentment of Tunisians, says Anthony Dworkin
Saied remains by far the most popular and trusted political figure in the country
Anthony Dworkin sees Kais Saied’s popularity remaining strong
As Anthony Dworkin warns in his analysis, because urgently needed economic reforms have been delayed, national bankruptcy threatens in the coming months
Prices may go up, but there is every indication that Algeria will honour its commitments — and there is a price review built into the contracts,
Anthony Dworkin says Algeria wants to make the most of opportunities to increase gas shipments to Europe and raise money to invest domestically
Anthony Dworkin in a video inside story about the developing Russia-Ukraine war