Economy is the challenge and solution
A voice from Tunisia: The most urgent issues that Imen Ben Mohamed will address at the Munich Security Conference.
Germany. Imen Ben Mohamed (33) from Tunisia belongs to the group of 25 Munich Young Leaders participating in the Munich Security Conference. She is Member of the Parliament of Tunisia and Vice-Chair of the committee on Economic and Financial Affairs, Social Affairs and Education of The Parliamentary Assembly – Union for The Mediterranean.
Ms. Ben Mohamed, what are the most threatening conflicts in 2018 – and why?
The economy is a threat in several countries in political transition. Reversing the trend of budget allocations as to provide more budget for education, health services and industrial empowerment and less for military, could significantly change the citizens’ opinion on what the decision-makers can achieve.
Indeed, the economy is the reason why some of our youth are feeling they are not a part of this society and get on a violent path. We need to adopt a holistic strategy to manage the issue of terrorism and in particular the return of foreign fighters to eliminate the reasons and the roots of this phenomenon of radicalism. We need a common strategy, not only concerning security but also on the economic, cultural and social level. The global threat of terrorism needs to be fought against hand in hand. A number of countries in the region, but also on different continents, suffered from terrorist attacks. In that Germany, France, Belgium, Tunisia, Mali, Turkey, Egypt, Iraq, the United States of America and Canada share a common history which we need to prevent from repeating itself.
Economic growth is a challenge but it also is a solution – not the only one, as fighting on the security level, tracing sources of financing terrorism, preventing money laundering and fighting corruption are all components of this strategy.
Which topics would you like to address in the discussions at the Munich Security Conference?
I would like to discuss how to fight our common threats in the Mediterranean countries. Important topics are
- the Tunisian model and the democratic processes,
- the security reforms in new democracies,
- the balance between human rights and the fight against terrorism,
- cyber security,
- the social and cultural reasons of the diffusion of radicalism in the north and south sides of the Mediterranean,
- the Libyan transition and the role of the neighboring countries in supporting democratization.
What are your expectations for the conference?
To share experiences and create a network of stakeholders from different countries who share the same goals.
Interview: Tanja Zech
About the Munich Young Leaders
The Munich Young Leaders programme is a joint initiative of the Munich Security Conference and Körber Foundation. It brings together 25 outstanding young representatives of governmental institutions, parliaments, think tanks, the media and the private sector. At the Munich Security Conference they discuss with high-ranking speakers current issues related to transatlantic foreign and security. The programme gives future decision-makers under 40 years of age the opportunity to introduce new ideas into the security-policy discourse.
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