EDITOR’S PICKS

Putin’s Belarus strategy: Arsonist and firefighter?

BelarusAlert May 10, 2022

Belarus has good reason for concern over Putin’s nuclear intimidation

By Steven Pifer

Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka has warned that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could go nuclear. If Vladmir Putin deploys nuclear weapons there is reason to believe that Belarus itself would soon be in the firing line.
Belarus Conflict
Putin’s Belarus strategy: Arsonist and firefighter?

BelarusAlert May 31, 2022

From White Russia to Belarus: Norway snubs Kremlin with name change

By Peter Dickinson

Norway has announced that it will now use the name “Belarus” instead of “Hviterussland” (literally “White Russia”) in a move reflecting growing awareness that Belarus should not be viewed through a Russian lens.
Belarus Democratic Transitions
Putin’s Belarus strategy: Arsonist and firefighter?

BelarusAlert May 17, 2022

Putin’s only friend: Belarus is Russia’s last remaining post-Soviet ally

By Brian Whitmore

The recent CSTO summit in Moscow highlighted Russia’s lack of support even within the former Soviet region while underlining Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s status as Vladimir Putin’s last remaining ally.
Belarus Central Asia

LATEST ANALYSIS

BelarusAlert

Aug 21, 2020

History beckons but Belarus protests need leadership

By Franak Viačorka

Unprecedented pro-democracy protests in Belarus currently threaten to unseat 26-year dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka, but the protest movement needs leadership to bring about political change.

Belarus Democratic Transitions

BelarusAlert

Aug 20, 2020

Lukashenka is wrong to use Ukraine as a cautionary tale

By Paul Niland

Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka has warned that pro-democracy protests will turn Belarus into another Ukraine – but Ukaine’s woes are due to Russian aggression not the country’s 2014 revolution.

Belarus Conflict

BelarusAlert

Aug 18, 2020

Belarus urgently needs European mediation

By Anders Åslund

Unprecedented pro-democracy protests have swept Belarus since a deeply flawed August 9 election. With dictator Lukashenka stripped of all legitimacy, only international mediation can help resolve the crisis.

Belarus Crisis Management

BelarusAlert

Aug 17, 2020

Alarm bells in Ukraine as Lukashenka calls on Putin to rescue his crumbling regime

By Bohdan Nahaylo

Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka is on the verge of being swept out of office by a wave of pro-democracy protests. He has called on Putin to save his regime, sparking alarm in neighboring Ukraine.

Belarus Conflict

BelarusAlert

Aug 17, 2020

How the West should respond to Belarus

By Daniel Fried, Brian O’Toole

Belarus is experiencing a democratic awakening that could end 26 years of dictatorship and transform the regional geopolitical landscape. With Russia looming large over the crisis, how should the West respond?

Belarus Democratic Transitions

BelarusAlert

Aug 16, 2020

Why Vladimir Putin is unlikely to invade Belarus

By Anders Åslund

Belarus is experiencing an historic democratic awakening that looks set to oust Kremlin-friendly dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka – but Putin is highly unlikely to repeat his 2014 invasion of Ukraine.

Belarus Democratic Transitions

BelarusAlert

Aug 13, 2020

Europe must not abandon the new Belarus to Putin

By Oleksiy Goncharenko

Protests in Belarus over a rigged election have grabbed the world’s attention this week. However, this geopolitically important democratic awakening has little chance of success without Western support.

Belarus Democratic Transitions

BelarusAlert

Aug 10, 2020

Lukashenka vs. democracy: Where is Belarus heading?

By Peter Dickinson

Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka is facing the biggest crisis of his 26-year reign as protests erupt over attempts to falsify the country’s August 9 presidential election. Can he cling on to power?

Belarus Democratic Transitions

BelarusAlert

Aug 9, 2020

Europe’s last dictator: The rise and (possible) fall of Alyaksandr Lukashenka

By Anders Åslund

Alexander Lukashenko has ruled Belarus for 26 years and earned the dubious title of “Europe’s last dictator” but his country has experienced a pro-democracy awakening during this year’s presidential election campaign.

Belarus Democratic Transitions

BelarusAlert

Aug 5, 2020

From dictatorship to democracy: Can Belarus make history on Sunday?

By Nicolai Khalezin

Belarusians go to the polls on Sunday in a presidential vote that is being billed as the biggest challenge to President Lukashenko for 26 years. Will the international community back the country’s democratic opposition?

Belarus Democratic Transitions
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spotlight

Belarus

Belarus’ August 2020 presidential election saw widespread protests and serious fraud allegations as President Lukashenka claimed victory against popular opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Will Belarus begin its transition to democracy, or will Belarusians face further repression as Lukashenka’s rule falters?

Putin’s Belarus strategy: Arsonist and firefighter?

UkraineAlert Aug 13, 2024

Belarus’s political prisoners must not be forgotten

New sanctions unveiled in August have highlighted the plight of Belarus’s approximately 1,400 political prisoners, but much more must be done to increase pressure on the Lukashenka regime, writes Hanna Liubakova.

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Putin’s Belarus strategy: Arsonist and firefighter?

UkraineAlert Jul 25, 2024

The West should articulate the possibility of a European future for Belarus now

By Richard Cashman

Failure to articulate the possibility of a European future for Belarus leaves the Euro-Atlantic community at risk of being caught off guard without a plan when Belarus reaches its fork in the road, writes Richard Cashman.
Belarus Conflict
Putin’s Belarus strategy: Arsonist and firefighter?

UkraineAlert Jul 16, 2024

I was sentenced to ten years in absentia for highlighting Belarus’s descent into dictatorship

By Alesia Rudnik

My recent ten-year sentence in absentia is a sure sign that Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka is increasingly insecure and dependent on the Kremlin, writes Alesia Rudnik.
Belarus Civil Society

The views expressed in BelarusAlert are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Atlantic Council, its staff, or its supporters.

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BelarusAlert

Jun 2, 2021

Putin’s Belarus strategy: Arsonist and firefighter?

By Brian Whitmore

Vladimir Putin has a proven skill for surreptitiously playing the arsonist and then offering his services as a firefighter. He may now be employing these same tactics in his approach towards the crisis in neighboring Belarus.

Belarus Politics & Diplomacy

BelarusAlert

May 27, 2021

Putin sides with Belarus dictator over air piracy as Ukraine rejects Minsk talks

By Peter Dickinson

Former Ukrainian president Leonid Kravchuk has confirmed that Ukraine will seek to move peace talks with Russia away from Minsk as the international fallout from Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s recent act of air piracy continued to make waves throughout the region.

Belarus International Norms

BelarusAlert

May 26, 2021

Did Russia assist in Belarus dictator’s act of air piracy?

By Brian Whitmore

Did Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka get a stealthy assist from Vladimir Putin's Russia in hijacking a commercial airliner travelling between two European Union countries?

Belarus International Norms

BelarusAlert

May 25, 2021

Ukraine bans Belarus flights over Lukashenka’s air piracy

By Peter Dickinson

Ukraine will ban air traffic with Belarus starting May 26 as the fallout continues from Sunday’s dramatic forced landing of an EU airliner and passenger abduction in Minsk.

Belarus Politics & Diplomacy

BelarusAlert

May 24, 2021

State-sponsored air piracy: Belarus dictator tests the international community

By Peter Dickinson

European leaders agreed to new sanctions against Belarus on May 24, the day after dictator Lukashenka sparked uproar by forcing an EU passenger jet to land in Minsk and abducting a high-profile dissident passenger.

Belarus European Union

New Atlanticist

May 24, 2021

Belarus air piracy: How the world should respond

By Daniel Fried

Outrage at aggression should lead to action. The West has options for a civil-aviation response as well as new targeted sanctions.

Belarus Economic Sanctions

BelarusAlert

May 19, 2021

Dialog of dictators: How Putin and Lukashenka really talk to each other

By Brian Whitmore

Meetings between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka have become more frequent since the outbreak of anti-regime protests in Belarus last year, but details remain vague.

Belarus Politics & Diplomacy

BelarusAlert

May 12, 2021

Time to sanction the Putin-Lukashenka “axis of autocrats”

By Brian Whitmore

Callings are growing for the international community to impose sanctions against the Putin-Lukashenka axis rather than just on the Belarusian regime.

Belarus Economic Sanctions

BelarusAlert

May 5, 2021

Belarus sanctions: Time to target Russia?

By Brian Whitmore

Can sanctions against Belarus be separated from sanctions against Russia? Or should sanctions against the two countries be treated as part of a coherent whole, effectively sanctioning the Putin-Lukashenka axis?

Belarus Economic Sanctions

BelarusAlert

Apr 28, 2021

Lukashenka’s succession gambit: Kremlin capitulation or power play?

By Brian Whitmore

Alyaksandr Lukashenka either just made a bold and brazen power play vis-a-vis Russia or he began laying the groundwork for Moscow's ultimate takeover of Belarus. Whatever the truth is, the stakes are enormous.

Belarus Crisis Management
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