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1611 CONNECTICUT AVE. NW, SUITE 300
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20009
July 27, 2016
The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States of America
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
As you consider the legacy of your presidency, we urge you to make an official visit to Tunisia, to demonstrate concretely the commitment you made during President Essebsi's visit in May 2015 that "the United States believes in Tunisia, is invested in its success, and will work as a steady partner for years to come."
Your visit to Tunisia would energize and reassure Tunisia's citizens and political leaders, sending a powerful signal of American support as the country struggles with the enormous challenges of building accountable institutions and a democratic society.
In 2009 in Cairo, you inspired citizens across the Middle East and North Africa by declaring a commitment to "common principles -- principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings." In the Arab world today, Tunisia stands alone as the one country where those principles of justice, progress, and tolerance have prevailed against all odds over the past five years.
Your Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes said in January that you would seek to consolidate your foreign policy legacy this year by traveling widely and by working with allies to combat extremism and foster the rise of emerging democracies.
There is no more important example of an emerging democracy in the world today than Tunisia, which has achieved historic progress through compromise and consensus-building. It is impossible to overstate the value that a successful transition to democracy in Tunisia could have for the entire region.
In addition, Tunisia is both the newest major non-NATO U.S. ally and an important partner in the counter-ISIL coalition that, with U.S. support, is demonstrating increasing effectiveness at fighting extremism at home and across its borders.
A visit to Tunisia would allow you to highlight a rare example of progress in countering extremism in a region too often defined by rising extremism and violent conflict.
Finally,
Tunisia presents a unique opportunity in a difficult election-year climate here at home, as a positive story that enjoys bipartisan support in Congress and as a North African country where both the government and the people want greater U.S. engagement. We strongly urge you to travel to Tunisia to demonstrate the depth of U.S. support for its historic democratic transition and to underscore your administration's commitment to its success as a model in the Arab world.
Sincerely,
Stephen McInerney Ambassador William J. Burns, Ret.
Executive Director, POMED Deputy Secretary of State, 2011-2014
Ambassador Gordon Gray, Ret. Ambassador William J. Hudson, Ret.
U.S. Ambassador to Tunisia, 2009-2012 U.S. Ambassador to Tunisia, 2004-2006
Ambassador Rust Deming, Ret. Ambassador Robin Raphel, Ret.
U.S. Ambassador to Tunisia, 2001-2003 U.S. Ambassador to Tunisia, 1998-2000
Ambassador John T. McCarthy, Ret. Ambassador Walter L. Cutler, Ret.
U.S. Ambassador to Tunisia, 1991-1994 U.S. Ambassador to Tunisia, 1982-1984
Joseph Lieberman Howard Berman
U.S. Senator, 1989-2013 U.S. Congressman, 1983-2013
Jane Harman David Dreier
U.S. Congresswoman, 1993-1999, U.S. Congressman, 1981-2013
2001-2011
Jim Kolbe Lynn Woolsey
U.S. Congressman, 1985-2007 U.S. Congresswoman, 1993-2013
Nancy Johnson Robert "Bud" Cramer
U.S. Congresswoman, 1983-2007 U.S. Congressman 1991-2009
Jim Moody Benjamin Chandler
U.S. Congressman, 1983-1993 U.S. Congressman, 2004-2013
Anne-Marie Slaughter Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Ret.
Director of Policy Planning Amb. at Large for Global Women's Issues
Amb. Frank G. Wisner, Ret. Amb. Paul Wolfowitz, Ret.
Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Deputy Secretary of Defense, 2001-2005
1994-1997
J. Brian Atwood Admiral Dennis Blair, Ret.
Administrator, USAID , 1993-1999 U.S. Director of National Intelligence
2009-2010
Ambassador Michael McFaul, Ret. Ambassador Miriam Sapiro
Special Assistant to the President & Deputy U.S. Trade Representative
Senior Director National Security 2009-2014
Council, 2009-2012
Amb. Richard Murphy, Ret. Amb. Edward S. Walker Jr., Ret.
Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Assistant Secretary of State for Near
and South Asian Affairs, 1983-1989 Eastern Affairs, 2000-2001
Patricia Dennis John Shattuck
Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights, & Labor, 1992-1993 Democracy, Human Rights, & Labor,
1993-1998
Lorne Craner David Kramer
Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights, & Labor, 2001-2004 Democracy, Human, Rights, & Labor,
2008-2009
Michael Posner Brian Hook
Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy Assistant Secretary of State for
Human Rights, & Labor, 2009-2013 International Organization Affairs,
2008-2009
Amb. William Taylor, Ret. Amb. James B. Cunningham, Ret.
Special Coordinator for Middle East U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan,
Transitions, 2012-2014 2011-2013
Amb. Ronald L. Schlicher, Ret. Amb. James Larocco, Ret.
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary
for Near Eastern Affairs, 2008-2011 of State for Near Eastern Affairs,
2001-2004
Amb. Edward William Gnehm, Jr., Ret. Amb. Philip Wilcox Jr., Ret.
Deputy Asst. Secretary of State for Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for
Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs,
1989-1990 1987-1988
Amb. David Mack, Ret. Toni Verstandig
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
for Near Eastern Affairs, 1990-1993 for Near Eastern Affairs, 1994-2001
Allen Keiswetter Scott Carpenter
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
for Near Eastern Affairs, 2000-2001 for Near Eastern Affairs, 2004-2007
Tamara Cofman Wittes Nazanin Ash
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
for Near Eastern Affairs, 2009-2012 for Near Eastern Affairs, 2012-2014
Ambassador Ryan Crocker, Ret. Ambassador William A. Rugh, Ret.
U.S. Ambassador to Iraq U.S. Ambassador to the United Arab 2007-2009 Emirates, 1992-1995
Ambassador Robert Ford, Ret. Ambassador Cameron Hume, Ret.
U.S. Amb. to Algeria, 2006-2008 U.S. Amb. to Algeria 1997-2000
Amb. Thomas Nassif, Ret. Amb. E. Michael Ussery, Ret.
U.S. Ambassador to Morocco 1985-1988 U.S. Ambassador to Morocco 1989-1992
Amb. Kurt Volker, Ret. Amb. Stephen Seche, Ret.
U.S. Ambassador to NATO, 2008-2009 U.S. Ambassador to Yemen, 2007-2010
Jennifer Windsor Jim Phippard
Deputy Assistant Administrator and Director, Director of USAID Mission in Tunisia
Center for Democracy and Governance, 1982-1987
USAID, 1998-2000
Joel Rubin Benjamin Fishman
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Director for North Africa & Jordan
Legislative Affairs, 2014-2015 National Security Council, 2012-2013
Ambassador Mark P. Lagon, Ret. Ambassador Theodore Kattouf, Ret.
President President
Freedom House AMIDEAST
Elisa Massimino Richard Fontaine
President & CEO President
Human Rights First Center for New American Security
Christopher J. Griffin W. Bowman Cutter
Executive Director Director, Next American Economy
Foreign Policy Initiative Project, Roosevelt Institute
Michele Dunne Robert Kagan
Director & Senior Associate, Middle East Senior Fellow, Project on International
Program, Carnegie Endowment for Order & Strategy, Brookings Institution
International Peace
Francis Fukuyama Thomas Carothers
Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow Vice President for Studies
Freeman Spogli Institute, Stanford University Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Marwan Muasher Amy Hawthorne
Vice President for Studies Deputy Director for Research
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Project on Middle East Democracy
Ellen Laipson Haleh Esfandiari
President Emeritus & Distinguished Fellow Former & Founding Director, Middle
Stimson Center East Program, Woodrow Wilson
International Center for Scholars
Alfred Stepan Larry Diamond
Fellow, Am. Academy of Arts and Sciences Senior Fellow
Wallace Sayre Professor of Government, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
Columbia University, Emeritus
Steven Heydemann Ted Piccone
Janet W. Ketchum Prof. of Middle East Studies Senior Fellow, Project on
Smith College International Order & Strategy
Brookings Institution
Perry Cammack Kate Seelye
Associate, Middle East Program Senior Vice President
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Middle East Institute
Caroline Freund Shadi Hamid
Senior Fellow Senior Fellow, Project on U.S.
Peterson Institute for International Economics Relations with the Islamic World,
Brookings Institution
Charles Dunne Jeffrey Gedmin
Non-Resident Scholar Senior Fellow
Middle East Institute Georgetown University
Stephen Grand Heather Hurlburt
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Project on U.S. Director, New Models of Policy
Relations with the Islamic World Change Initiative, New America
Brookings Institution
Paul Salem Henri Barkey
Vice President for Policy and Research Director, Middle East Program
Middle East Institute Woodrow Wilson International
Center for Scholars
James Denton Neil Hicks
Publisher and Editor Director, Human Rights Promotion
World Affairs Journal Human Rights First
Daniel Brumberg Andrew Albertson
Assoc. Prof., Department of Government Senior Governance Advisor
Georgetown University International Peace and Security
Institute
Sarah Yerkes Kathy Bailey
Visiting Fellow, Ctr. for Middle East Policy Principal
Brookings Institution King Street Strategies
Mohamed Malouche Jerry Sorkin
Chairman of the Board Founder and President
Tunisian American Young Professionals TunisUSA
Radwan Masmoudi William Lawrence
President, Center for the Study of Islam Prof. of Political Science and
and Democracy International Affairs
George Washington University
Neil Brown Ellen Lust
Nonresident Fellow Professor, Dept. of Political Science,
German Marshall Fund University of Gothenburg
Alexander M. Djerassi Leila Hilal
Former Nonresident Associate Senior Fellow, International Security
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Program, New America
John Entelis Ellen Bork
Professor of Political Science Senior Fellow
Fordham University Foreign Policy Initiative
Karim Mezran Cole Bockenfeld
Senior Fellow, Rafik Hariri Center Deputy Director for Policy
for the Middle East, Atlantic Council Project on Middle East Democracy
Daniel Serwer Sarah Feuer
Professor, School of Adv. Int. Studies Soref Fellow
Johns Hopkins University Washington Institute for Near East
Policy
Hardin Lang I. William Zartman
Senior Fellow Professor Emeritus, School of Advanced
Center for American Progress International Studies
Johns Hopkins University
Juan Cole Nancy Okail
Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor Executive Director
of History, University of Michigan Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy
Amaney Jamal Randa Slim
Director, Mamdouha S. Bobst Center for Director, Track II Dialogue Initiative
Peace and Justice, Princeton University Middle East Institute
Anouar Boukhars John L. Esposito
Nonresident Scholar, Middle East Program Professor of Religion & International
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Affairs, Georgetown University
Eva Bellin Joseph Bahout
Myra and Robert Kraft Professor of Arab Visiting Scholar, Middle East Program
Politics, Brandeis University Carnegie Endowment for International
Peace
Daniele Moro Wayne White
Executive Director Scholar
U.S.-Italy Global Affairs Forum Middle East Institute
Monica Marks Nader Hashemi
Ph.D. Candidate Director, Center for Middle East
Oxford University Studies, University of Denver
Radwan Ziadeh
Fellow
Institute for Social Policy and Understanding
*All affiliations included for identification purposes only.
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Center for the Study of Islam & Democracy (CSID)
1050 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 500
Washington D.C. 20036
Office. 202-772-3370
Cell. 202-604-1290
masmoudi@islam-democracy.org
www.islam-democracy.org
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