In a post on social media, politician Mohsen Marzouk drew a parallel between Saudi Arabia’s recent diplomatic advances and Tunisia’s obtaining, in 2015, the status of a major non-NATO ally with the United States.
In his message published on Facebook, Friday November 21, 2025, he first commented on the announcement that Saudi Arabia would invest a thousand billion dollars in the United States, an initiative which, according to him, is part of a strategic logic perfectly mastered by Riyadh. In return, the kingdom notably obtained the status of major non-NATO ally, a privilege granted by Washington to a limited circle of partners deemed essential to its security.
Marzouk stressed that this agreement, presented by Saudi officials as a major diplomatic success, is indeed perceived as such by analysts of international relations, because of the political, military and economic advantages it confers.
Returning to his political experience, Mohsen Marzouk recalled that Tunisia had obtained the same designation in 2015, during an official visit to the United States, without having made the slightest investment or conceded any strategic compensation. He described this achievement as a “major achievement” obtained in the space of six months of exercising power.
« We went to the United States, we didn’t spend even a penny, we didn’t concede anything, and yet we obtained non-NATO ally status “, he noted.
According to him, this progress had nevertheless triggered, at the time, a denigration campaign fueled, among others, by a foreign state which did not wish to see Tunisia forge strong alliances likely to reduce its influence on the country.
« A campaign was led, in particular by a state that did not want Tunisia to have strong allies, in order to be able to dominate it “, he wrote.
Marzouk said he regretted that certain Tunisian actors had adopted the same critical position, “ either by misunderstanding of the issues, or by opportunism ».
The politician thus suggested that this episode illustrated above all the difficulty, in the Tunisian political context, of having the value of a major diplomatic success recognized when it contravenes regional interests or runs counter to traditional dynamics of influence.
NJ
