"Belarus Headlines", issue VII, May 2012
This issue features news, articles and policy reviews of the most important political, economic and social developments in Belarus.
Among the main events of the last month: the release of two well-known political prisoners, the former presidential candidate Andrei Sannikau and his campaign aid Dzmitry Bandarenka, the launch of the European Dialogue for Modernisation with Belarus as well as the return of EU ambassadors to Minsk after they left during a row between Belarus and the EU.
In his article ‘The Law of the Jungle in Belarusian-Russian Relations’, Siarhei Bohdan explains why the trade wars between Belarus and Russia, and their outcome, are easy to predict and why Belarus is bound to fall prey to the political approach of Russian economy. The research section of the Headlines explores the microeconomic stability of Belarus and gives an insight into the future of the economy of the country after Russia joins the World Trade Organisation. The experts of BISS and the Agency for Policy Expertise help to unravel the labyrinth of Belarus’ current economic development and its monetary and fiscal policies under heavy external borrowing requirements.
Olga Loginova continues her trail around the Vitsebsk Region and tells another story about the ‘Unknown Belarus’. She traces down a Belarusian relative of the Scottish Loch Ness monster. Read her travel notes to find out why lake Lepel is so popular with tourists.
This issue also evaluates the expertise exchange project which is being operated by the ODB in cooperation with BISS and the Belarusian Union of Transport Workers with the support of the European Commission. The project engages Belarusian experts in different areas to help them increase their capacity by establishing contacts and sharing best practices with their colleagues from the EU and EaP countries.
In addition, you can check our regular overview of the most popular articles on the Belarus Digest web-site, prepared by Yaraslau Kryvoi.
Our projects
EU and Belarus: Sharing Knowledge. ODB Continies its Experts Exchange Projects
Research:
Russia in WTO: Effects on Belarus
External Debt Growth Factors: Need for Stringent Monetary and Fiscal Policies
Unknown Belarus: