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Actors in Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution: Democratic Constitutional Rally (RCD) Assignment #2: Silke Groeneweg Introduction to International Development 1. What type of actor is this? What characteristics helped you identify what type of actor your actor is? (2-3 sentences) The Democratic Constitutional Rally (RCD) was the ruling party in Tunisia from its independence from France in 1956 until its overthrow and subsequent dissolution following Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution in 2011. The RCD is very clearly a state actor, given their standing as a political party and the way in which it and Ben Ali exercised power over branches of government to control the lives of the people of Tunisia. Prior to the revolution, Tunisia was very much a one-party system, where the RCD had the majority of the seats (as much as 161 of the 217 seats in the legislature) (Murphy, 2011, p 299) which gave them almost absolute power in the legislature. 2. What did your actor do in Tunisia’s revolution, if anything? (4-6 sentences) The RCD was an important actor during the Tunisian revolution. At the beginning of the …show more content…

States are such powerful actors because in most cases, they can control a significant amount of the day to day of its citizens. Two common methods states use to control the status quo include suppression of revolutions through the use of force including the mobilization of police and the armed forces. This can be a significant influencer in maintaining the status quo as many individuals fear a potentially violent reprisal from the state should its citizens stage a protest or revolution. Another method states use to maintain the status quo is cronyism and nepotism used by officials within that state. Officials within states often have the power to give influential roles to their friends, families, and individuals that could be beneficial to their

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