Obama upgrades alliance with newly democratic Tunisia

WASHINGTON — President Obama moved to upgrade the U.S. alliance with Tunisia Thursday, welcoming the newly elected Tunisian president to the White House to highlight what the United States sees as a rare success story from the Arab Spring.

Obama said he intends to name the northern African nation a major, non-NATO ally, a designation that clears the way for Tunisia to receive more military aid. Only 15 countries have been added to that list since 1989, most recently Afghanistan in 2012.

In doing so, Obama cited the progress Tunisia has made "in allowing all parties and all parts of the population, including women and minorities, to be included in the governing process."

The reception for President Béji Caïd Essebsi marks the first time a democratically elected Tunisian president has visited the White House in the 215-year history of relations with Tunis. And it comes at what the United States sees as a crucial juncture in Tunisia's newly emerging democracy.

A nation of 11 million, Tunisia has struggled with high unemployment as it has received a flood of more than 1 million refugees fleeing a civil war in Libya, Tunisia's eastern neighbor.

Those economic struggles have also led to security concerns.

Obama said the two leaders discussed security and counterterrorism operations to "stabilize Libya so we don't have a failed state, a power vacuum that ends up affecting the situation in Tunisia."

Islamic State recruiters have found fertile ground in recruiting from Tunisia's young poor, where officials have estimated that at least 2,400 young men have traveled to Iraq and Syria to fight.

The terrorist group has also claimed responsibility for a March 18 attack on the National Bardo Museum in Tunis, which killed 22 civilians, mostly foreign tourists

When Tunisia gave birth to the Arab Spring in 2011, the protest movement seemed capable of bringing about a more democratic Middle East. But since then, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain have been racked by instability, and only Tunisia has emerged as a more secular and democratic country. Essebsi won the first presidential election under a new constitution in December.

Since revolution, the Unites States has provided about $570 million to Tunisia, including about $300 million in economic aid, $175 million in military aid and $80 million for democracy-building.

"We need the U.S. and maybe the U.S. needs Tunisia now," Essebsi said through a translator during an eight-minute photo op in the Oval Office Thursday afternoon.

The Obama administration is proposing another $134 million for next year. "This is not charity; it's a smart investment in our shared future, and our meetings Thursday will focus on three priorities," Obama and Essebsi wrote in a joint op-ed piece published in Thursday's Washington Post.

Essebsi met with cabinet secretaries Wednesday. Secretary of State John Kerry signed an agreement on economic and security cooperation, and and Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker introduced him to a group of American business leaders across the street from the White House.

The executives — including representatives from Hilton, MasterCard, Google and Hewlett Packard — spoke about ways to encourage more investment in the northern African nation.

Follow Gregory Korte on Twitter @gregorykorte.