Tunisia police officer kills four in shooting near Africa’s oldest synagogue
GuardianAUG 2023
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
Saied’s decision to reject the IMF’s nearly $2B bailout deal was a difficult, yet correct decision. Tunisia has been down this road before, having already agreed to two nine-figure bailouts in the past 10 years. Neither of those loans did anything to strengthen Tunisia’s long-term economic outlook, and it's unlikely that three times is a charm. The IMF’s offer also has many strings attached that could disrupt the structure of Tunisia’s institutions. While it is always tempting to take large sums of money from international bodies, Tunisia resisted the IMF to bolster its domestic well-being.
Pro-establishment narrative
While Tunisia is mired in a decade-long economic crisis, Saied is too stubborn to accept a lifeline from the IMF. As debt consumes Tunisia and inflation makes the cost of living unbearable, there are few viable paths to economic viability. Saied may have some theoretical ideas of how to get out of this predicament without international help, but he has no coherent plan. Tunisia doesn’t have the time or money to fix its problems without the IMF, and the Tunisian people will not accept the continued economic calamity.