Relationship dossier
Tunisia
United States
Relationship assessment
Security and economic cooperation underpin the relationship, alongside U.S. concerns about Tunisia’s political trajectory.
Tunisia toward United States
+40Tunisia has cooperated with the United States on counterterrorism and security, including through bilateral security engagement. Political changes since 2021 have complicated the relationship, though the scope of any resulting changes in Tunisian cooperation is unclear.
United States toward Tunisia
+45The United States has provided Tunisia with security assistance and designated it a major non-NATO ally in 2015. It has also raised concerns about democratic governance following President Kais Saied’s 2021 actions and subsequent political changes.
Overall relationship
+40The relationship has a durable foundation in security cooperation, U.S. assistance and economic engagement. U.S. recognition of Tunisia as a major non-NATO ally reflects the importance of the security partnership. Disagreements over democratic governance have introduced friction, especially since Tunisia’s political changes beginning in 2021.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Tunisia and the United States have maintained substantial cooperation, particularly on counterterrorism, security assistance and economic ties. The United States designated Tunisia a major non-NATO ally in 2015. Since President Kais Saied’s 2021 actions and the subsequent political changes, U.S. concerns about democratic governance have added friction to an otherwise cooperative relationship.
Areas of tension
- U.S. concerns about democratic governance following political changes in Tunisia since 2021.
Key developments
The United States designated Tunisia a major non-NATO ally, formalizing its importance as a security partner.
Major uncertainties
- The extent and implementation of current security and economic cooperation are unclear.
- The longer-term effect of Tunisia’s political changes on bilateral cooperation is uncertain.