Belarus Headlines I

"Belarus Headlines", issue I, May 2011

From this issue forward, Belarus Headlines will be published in cooperation with the London-based online periodical Belarus Digest.

In addition to having a new design, this issue also features a different approach to content. You will see original texts written on the most pressing Belarus-related problems from a non partisan perspective. In the future, the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies plans to join the Belarus Headlines team.

Every month we will supply you with political and economic analysis, news summaries, and interesting facts about Belarusian culture and history. We hope to help you understand the situation in Belarus better and to avoid being trapped in some common myths and stereotypes.

This issue primarily focuses on the economic turmoil on a scale which Belarus has not seen since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Will Belarusian authorities start serious economic reforms or do they plan to keep surviving on foreign loans? Will Russia bail out Belarus as before?

What can the West do beyond sanctions to influence the situation in Belarus? These are just some questions we hope to clarify in this issue.

We hope you will like Belarus Headlines in its new format and would very much appreciate your feedback.

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