Tunisia's tiny free-speech steps

"Never from the get go [was there] a real effort to focus on the details – exactly how you were going to translate those noble ideas into tangible results on the ground. It's all the more [unfortunate] because there is a great deal of experience in the US on this. There was a tendency to reinvent the wheel and bypass those who knew [how to do it]," says Dr. Denoeux.

As the newspaper project languished, MEPI began supporting a program of roundtable discussions already under way with the help of al- Sabah newspaper journalist Ridha Kefi. About half a dozen discussions have been held so far this year, among intellectuals, members of professional associations, and representatives of the government. Among the relatively uncontroversial topics: US-Tunisian trade and the media's role vis-a-vis extremism.

The discussions, held in a hotel conference room, are videotaped, transcribed, and shared with the public in a newspaper supplement. The supplement is distributed by al-Sabah and its French sister publication, the second largest Arabic and French newspapers respectively.

"There is no conversation here between the people and the government at all.... So all we are doing in this roundtable is to have a discussion," says Mr. Kefi.

It's a smaller step towards reform than the student newspaper program, but it's the new definition of progress. "What they say [in the roundtable meeting] is not as important as [that] the roundtable took place and [the] accounts of these are published," says the US official.

"There are those who see democracy as an instantaneous process. We see it as a gradual reform process that requires a lot of effort," says a Tunisian official who also spoke on condition of anonymity.

But it isn't just governments that view US democratic ambitions here with a wary eye. Tunisia has a community of human rights, free press, and democracy activists that would appear to be natural allies of the US. "In all the Arab world the image of America is very bad," says Mokhtar Trifi, president of the Tunisian League for the Defense of Human Rights, referring to US policies in Iraq and the Palestinian territories. "We cannot leave all of this and cooperate with MEPI and American programs."

That sentiment can make it difficult for those who work with the US. "We are facing a lot of problems because we are working with MEPI," says Kefi, but MEPI is one of the few sponsors he could find. "In our work and in our beliefs is the only hope we have. We have to push things – this [red] line – to [bring] freedom." [Editor's note:The original version mistakenly inserted 'MEPI' into this quotation by Mr. Kefi, changing the meaning. We regret the error]

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