A Coded Revolution: How Tunisia and Estonia Digitized a Democratic Alliance

This essay won an honorable mention in the 2025 YRIS High School Essay Contest for its response to the following prompt: “Examine the evolution of a relationship between two countries in response to a global challenge. What lessons can other nations learn from their cooperation or conflict?”

In a world where revolutions are increasingly fought with hashtags rather than bullets, digital governance stands as one of the defining fronts in the world’s reformation. A silent revolution began rippling across the world in the 2010s, not spread with bloodshed onto barricades but through algorithms, public data, and digital usernames. One of the many global issues that shaped bilateral relations during that period was the emergence of e-governance, and it could be deemed as the most powerful. Tunisia and Estonia, existing on two far-flung continents, both very diverse in culture and history, are bound by a common vision of transparent governance and citizen empowerment through digital means. In the aftermath of the Arab Spring (an anti-government uprising across Arab nations), Tunisia was faced with the challenge of rebuilding its institutions and improving public trust in them, whereas thousands of kilometers away, Estonia had already established itself as one of the most digitally advanced societies. Quite interestingly, their paths converged, a rare indication of how a small Baltic country and a post-revolutionary state from North Africa could build a partnership in digital democracy. 

From Protest to Platforming

In December 2010, a young street vendor named Mohamed Bouazizi gained international attention when he self-immolated to protest against corruption and harassment by municipal officers he faced as a street vendor. His act of self-sacrifice set forth the Tunisian Revolution, bringing down President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and triggering the much wider Arab Spring. Tunisia, thus, began emerging after the revolution as the regional beacon of hope with its comparatively tranquil transition toward democracy. However, behind hopeful headlines, this country was dealing with institutional decay, public distrust, and an urgent need for fundamental reforms. In fact, the lack of transparency in government became a major issue that the new Tunisia faced after the revolution. Tunisia had no tools and very little infrastructure to produce a transparent and accountable implementation of public services. The lack of mechanisms to engage the citizenry and the absence of the ability to interact with government services digitally further distanced the people.

By 2012, Tunisia realized that digital governance could also be used as an asset for rebuilding civic trust, improving organizational efficiency, and recognizing the importance of Tunisia’s commitment to e-governance with respect to the consolidation of democratic gains. The initial programs included the National Digital Strategy (2014-2018), which envisioned the digitization of public records, the establishment of open data portals, and the adoption of e-participation tools. Lacking technical capacity and institutional experience, Tunisia needed to find a mentor, an international partner that could offer guidance on digital reforms while respecting Tunisia’s unique socio-political context. This situation unexpectedly opened the door for Estonia to become involved.

The Republic of Code

Often called “the most advanced digital society in the world,” Estonia is one of the e-governance leaders since the Soviet times. As explained in Sandra Roosna and Raul Rikk’s e-Estonia: e-Governance in Practice, the Estonian model is based on three major pillars: digital ID cards, health and legal records in blockchain, and X-Road, a variety of decentralized systems for seamless interoperability across government and private databases. In Estonia, citizens are able to use their digital ID for voting, paying taxes, obtaining digital prescriptions, and creating businesses online. The high-trust system reduces profound bureaucracy and corruption, thereby raising transparency and efficiency.

Notably, Estonia’s willingness to share its digital model with other nations represents not only the best thing one can imagine for the opportunity presented to them but also one of the most effective sites of soft power. Joseph Nye argues in his book Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics that nations that export governance models are the ones that build networks of influence and credibility. Estonia perfectly embodies the idea that in 2002, it founded the e-Governance Academy to assist and train states aspiring to digitization. Tunisia became one of its key partners in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region.

A Bridge Made of Bytes

Tunisia’s formal relations with Estonia began to develop in 2013 when Tunisian officials from the Ministry of Communication Technologies contacted the e-Governance Academy. Supported through the Neighbourhood Policy of the European Commission and the EU4Digital initiative, Estonia has been providing direct training, workshops, and institutional partnerships to assist Tunisia in modernizing its public sector.

One particular area of focus was cybersecurity. Estonia’s experience with the 2007 cyberattack, in which its government infrastructure had been the target of a suspected Russian-backed operation, deeply ingrained in the Estonians the importance of digital security. Estonian experts helped Tunisia to develop an institutional cybersecurity strategy and trained personnel in data protection and the resilience of digital infrastructure, as these threats were timely for Tunisia, given increasing concerns about cyber threats and electoral interference ahead of the elections of 2014 and 2019.

Equally important was the creation of the digital ID framework based on Estonia’s model. Tunisia began creating a safe national identity system with the help of Biometric Update and the World Bank. Citizens used this system to access a wide range of e-services, including civil registration, tax filings, and educational records. Pilot programs were carried out in Tunis and Sfax with the technical assistance of Estonian consultants.

Tunisia and Estonia formed a formal bilateral agreement in 2022 to enhance cooperation on digital policy. By 2023, Tunisia launched the very first government transparency portal with an open API architecture that allows civil society organizations to monitor budgets and procurements in real-time. These initiatives were praised by the World Bank and Freedom House for strengthening Tunisia’s democratic infrastructure.

Digital Takeaways

The Tunisia-Estonia partnership sends a strong message to the world: global issues concerning digital transformation are not limited to wealthy countries or countries in close proximity. Instead, it offers intriguing opportunities for the creation of synergistic partnerships between seemingly unrelated allies. From revolutionary turmoil towards digital experiments, Tunisia has shown that even fragile democracies can make strong strategic gains if they decide to modernize their governance tools. Estonia significantly enhanced its diplomatic and development footprint by not just exporting the technology but also the institutional know-how.

Capitalizing on the symbol of modern diplomacy, the Tunisia-Estonia cooperation also underscores the district power of so-called alternative types of diplomacy in foreign relations. Karim Sabbagh and his collaborators in Understanding the Arab Digital Generation argue that 21st-century diplomacy has become increasingly focused on knowledge transfer, technical training, and collaboration founded upon values. The Tunisia-Estonia case is a textbook example in which the partners were least interested in commerce or military alliances and were principally more committed to their common worldview of civic participation, transparency, and inclusion.

In addition, this case illustrates how capacity needs to be built along with technological developments. As Rainer Kattel and Ines Mergel claim in Estonia’s Digital Transformation, most digital reforms fail because countries import software solutions without embedding them into sustainable governance structures. Accordingly, it was not simply about transferring digital blueprints to Tunisia on the part of Estonia: institution-building measures, human capital, and some level of iterative process needed to be included in the package.

Lastly, the Tunisia–Estonia model should inspire other emerging democracies to pursue unconventional partnerships, for in this multipolar world, where trust in global institutions is in decline, bilateral cooperation on pragmatic goals like digital literacy, cybersecurity, and civic tech may in fact become a key that is meant to protect democracy.

From Revolution to Resolution

Tunisia and Estonia’s relations started against the backdrop of revolution and grew at the forefront of innovation. What commenced as a struggle for democratic legitimacy after the Arab Spring became a fully-fledged digital transformation process supported by international solidarity and technical expertise. The partnership is indeed a stellar case for digital governance and a real-story case in twenty-first-century diplomacy, which uses the levers of statecraft with code, connectivity, and civic empowerment.

Answering the global challenge of digital transformation brought Tunisia and Estonia to a humble meeting across continents. Their cooperation serves as a reminder to others: democratization in the digital age is not about replication, but about adapting successful models to local contexts with mutual respect and a common ambition. In an era in which authoritarianism and digital surveillance are on the rise, such a partnership stands out as a rare example of unity through technology.

References

Featured/Headline Image Caption and Citation: MoU Tunisia-Estonia – 17 May 2022, Image sourced from Wikimedia Commons | CC License, no changes made

1. United Nations, “E-Government in Support of Sustainable Development | Public Institutions,” 2016, https://publicadministration.desa.un.org/publications/e-government-support-sustainable-development.
2. Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2014: The Democratic Leadership Gap (Washington, DC: Freedom House, 2014), https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/2020-02/Freedom_in_the_World_2014_Booklet.pdf.
3. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Government at a Glance 2017, OECD Publishing, Paris, 2017, https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/2017/07/government-at-a-glance-2017_g1g74dbf.html.
4. National Research University Higher School of Economics, Centre for Institutional Studies – Public Administration and Social Studies of Technology in Non-Democratic Regimes (PaSSTn), https://we.hse.ru/en/irs/cas/passtn.
5.  e-Governance Academy, e-Estonia: e-Governance in Practice, Tallinn: e-Governance Academy, 2016, https://ega.ee/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/e-Estonia-e-Governance-in-Practice.pdf.
6. Tanel Kerikmäe, David Ramiro Troitiño, and Olga Shumilo, “An Idol or an Ideal? A Case Study of Estonian E-Governance: Public Perceptions, Myths and Misbeliefs,” Acta Baltica Historiae et Philosophiae Scientiarum 7, no. 1 (Spring 2019): 71–80, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333681317_An_Idol_or_an_Ideal_A_Case_Study_of_Estonian_E-Governance_Public_Perceptions_Myths_and_Misbeliefs.(researchgate.net)
7. Nye, Joseph S. Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics (PublicAffairs, 2004).
8. Ibid.
9. European Commission, eGovernment Benchmark 2020: eGovernment that works for the people, 2020,  https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/egovernment-benchmark-2020-egovernment-works-people. 
10. World Bank, “Citizens at the Center: Tunisia’s GovTech Success Story,” November 2023.
11.  Morozov, Evgeny. To Save Everything, Click Here (PublicAffairs, 2013).
12.  Tunisian Estonian Chamber of Commerce, “Tunisia and Estonia Sign MoU For Cooperation In The Field of Digitization And E-Governance,” May 2022.
13. International IDEA, “Protecting Tunisian Elections from Digital Threats,”May 10, 2019, https://www.idea.int/news/protecting-tunisian-elections-digital-threats.
14.  U.S. Department of State, “Joint Statement on Tunisia-Estonia Digital Cooperation,” 2013.
15.  e-Governance Academy, “Tunisia Learns from Estonia to Develop Their E-Government,” https://ega.ee/tunisia-learns-from-estonia-to-develop-their-e-government/. 
16. Ibid.
17. Freedom House, “Tunisia: Freedom in the World 2023,” Freedom in the World, https://freedomhouse.org/country/tunisia/freedom-world/2023.
18.  Karim Sabbagh et al., Understanding the Arab Digital Generation (Beirut: Booz & Company, 2012), http://www.investinlebanon.gov.lb/Content/uploads/Understanding_the_Arab_Digital_Generation.pdf.
19. Rainer Kattel and Ines Mergel, “Estonia’s Digital Transformation: Mission Mystique and the Hiding Hand,” in Great Policy Successes, ed. Paul Hart and Mallory Compton (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019), 143–60, https://academic.oup.com/book/42635/chapter/358101931.