Belarus Headlines V

"Belarus Headlines", issue V, December 2011

The fifth issue of Belarus Headlines features a review of the most important events in the political, social, and economic life of the country, an announcement about a high level expert conference on Belarus in Brussels, and a number of analytical articles.

Firstly, we would like to welcome new researchers Aliaksei Pikulik, the new Academic Director of the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies, and Alexander Chubrik, the Director of the Research Centre for the Institute for Privatisation and Management, into our team of authors.

In a joint memo, Aliaksei Pikulik and Dzianis Melyantsou, a senior expert with BISS, analyse the recent agreements between Belarus and Russia and how they might impact the political and economic situation in the country. The authors explore the shifting political alignments in the region and Belarus’ gravitation away from the Eastern Partnership.

While Alexander Chubrik takes a closer look at the country’s economic crisis, the possibilities of conducting structural reforms and the EU’s role in future transformations, Siarhei Bohdan from Belarus Digest explores the current trends among the Belarusian nomenclature and determines if there is any hope that democratic change could be delivered by regime incumbents.

The Research section of the bulletin provides an overview of latest publications by the Agency of Policy Expertise and BISS, including the Belarus Foreign Policy Index.

In addition, Yaraslau Kryvoi provides a review of the most popular articles on the Belarus Digest web-site covering the developments inside Belarus, its relations with Russia, as well as cultural issues.

In the “Unknown Belarus” section we offer you a trip to the Belarusian town of Orsha, which over its almost millennia-long history saw many glorious victories and bitter defeats that still influence the city’s spirit.