Belarus

Has Lukashenka’s anti-NATO gambit paid off with Putin?

By Brian Whitmore

Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka's decision to abandon years of geopolitical neutrality and join Vladimir Putin's hybrid war against the West may have succeeded in convincing the Kremlin to keep him in position.

Maria of Minsk

By Melinda Haring

Imprisoned activist Maria Kalesnikava did not seek a career in politics but since the outbreak of anti-regime protests in Belarus she has become a source of inspiration for the country's pro-democracy movement.

Global Sanctions Dashboard: Halloween edition

By Julia Friedlander, Michael Albanese and Castellum.AI

US’s evolving approach to cryptocurrencies, Pandora Papers; sanctions against Iran, Myanmar, and Russian authorities in Crimea.

Are Belarus and Russia using migrant crisis to smuggle agents into Europe?

By Brian Whitmore

Elements of a new Iron Curtain are appearing along Belarus's border with the EU and officials are growing concerned that Putin and Lukashenka may be using the migrant crisis to smuggle agents into Europe.

State of the Order: Assessing September 2021

The State of the Order breaks down the month's most important events impacting the democratic world order.

Putin’s willing provocateur: Lukashenka escalates EU border crisis

By Brian Whitmore

Shots were fired at the Belarusian-Polish border last week as Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka's hybrid war against the European Union threatened to escalate further amid the weaponization of migrants.

How sustainable is the Belarusian economy?

By Anders Åslund

Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka faces mounting sanctions pressure but the Soviet-style Belarusian economy will likely prove sustainable unless the West focuses pressure on Lukashenka's Russian enablers.

West seeks new ways to hold Belarus dictator Lukashenka accountable

By Brian Whitmore

US and EU leaders are exploring new options as they seek to hold Kremlin-backed Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka accountable for his increasingly brazen violations of international norms.

Want to assess Ukraine’s progress? Look at Belarus

By Vitaliy Sych

Perhaps the best way to gauge Ukraine's post-Soviet progress is to compare the country's media freedoms and fledgling democracy with the authoritarian environment in neighboring Belarus and Russia.

Lukashenka vs. Ukraine

By Brian Whitmore

Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka has accused NATO of establishing military bases in Ukraine and has vowed to respond together with Russian President Vladimir Putin.