Magazine 2/2011
Download
Power ambitions again made Belarusian government to make wrong priorities. The perspective of economic hardships did not stop the authorities from splashing out while increasing the public spending before presidential elections in December 2010. Eventually Belarus witnessed economic default made of financial crisis, devaluation of Belarusian national currency…
Magazine 1/2011
Download
The ghost of the Union State between Russia and Belarus is still wandering in the halls of Kremlin although it no longer impresses Russian authorities as something feasible. The idea of gradual incorporation of Belarus into Russia attractive for Russian authorities through the project of the Union State initiated in 1999, lost its sense in this respect in 21st century…
Magazine 1/2011
Download
Myths which are believed in tend to become true. – George Orwell It’s being stated that the EU is based on respect of human rights, freedom, democracy, equality and the rule of law, which make European democratic standards. Being a “soft power” directed by moral values the EU can’t offer a third country any political or economic integration prior this country…
Magazine 2/2008
Download
Parliamentary elections in Belarus have come to an end and the Opposition has lost again, as it was to be expected. However, this time it wasn’t just a political defeat. It lost also from the psychological point of view since it relied on the authority’s statements and believed President Aleksandr Lukashenko’s vague pledges that fair elections would be held. Lukashenko gave the representatives of opposition parties as well as independent candidates no chance to fill…
Magazine 2/2008
Download
On 28th September, 2008, parliamentary elections were held in Belarus. The observer mission of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe has rejected to recognise their result. DespiteBorders talks with the political scientist Andrey Liakhovich, the Director of the Centre for Political Education, about their implications for innerpolitical development in Belarus as well as the latest development within Belarusian-Russian relations.
Magazine 2/2008
Download
It seams that the “policy of flirting”, which the Belarusian regime has pursued towards the West for a long time, has started to bear fruit. However, it doesn’t mean that the era of democratisation or liberalisation begins in Belarus or that the authority starts to fulfil political demands towards the improvement of situation in the field of human rights. Most probably, it won’t be possible to speak of any democratisation in the country in the course of next years at all. In view of the current state of relations…
Magazine 2/2008
Download
Vitaly Silicky ranks among prominent Belarusian political analysts. In the past, he worked at the European Humanity University in Minsk (1999 – 2003), in the period 2005 – 2006 he participated in a training period at the Stanford University (USA). Nowadays, he’s the Director of Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies, which integrates several independent analytical centres in the country. He publishes his articles…
Magazine 2/2008
Download
Although the concept of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) remains the primary framework regulating policy of the European Union (EU) towards neighbour states, a French initiative of Mediterranian Union and a Polish-Swedish project of Eastern Partnership represent important changes in this concept. The emergence of ENP required enlargement of the EU in 2004, when countries…
Magazine 1/2008
Download
Last presidential elections in Belarus were a significant test not only for the society and opposition, but first and foremost for Lukashenko’s regime. The events of the presidential campaign showed that Lukashenko didn’t plan to play democracy and accede to minimum concessions to the opposition. The campaign turned into mass cleansing aimed against the whole democratic community and against…
Magazine 1/2007
Download
Belarus is a unique country not only from the political and historical point of view, but also because it represents a distinctive phenomenon that “disproves” all philosophical stereotypes and rules of logic. Particularly high standard in this area has been achieved by the Belarusian opposition. Ancient Greek philosopher Heraclites once said: “Everything flows, nothing is left unchanged” and “you cannot step…
