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EaP Think Bridge is a platform uniting expert communities in the countries of Eastern Partnership region to fill the gap in distributing analytical products for stakeholders |

Belarus: Lukashenko Threatens with NATO Invasion, COVID-19 Pandemic on the Rise
01/2021The government is increasing taxes while admitting budget deficit, street protests are decentralized, and the EU adopts the third package of sanctions.

Belarus: Lukashenko Сalls on “Taking No Captives” and Closes Borders with the EU
12/2020Lukashenko’s press secretary was involved in the incident leading to the death of a protester. The EU introduces new sanctions while social support is reduced.

Belarus: Violence against Protesters and Diplomatic Scandals
11/2020Lukashenko seeks to replace the protest agenda by discussing amendments to the Constitution, Tikhanovskaya presents her ultimatum, European ambassadors leave Minsk.

Belarus: 50 Days of Protests, West Doesn’t Recognize Lukashenko as Legitimate
10/2020The protests have been going on for 7 weeks, IT-business is losing $100 thousand daily, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya is reinstating her foreign policy legitimacy.

Belarus: Elections Not Recognized by EU and Society, Protests are Ongoing
09/2020Falsified election results and brutal actions of security forces spawn society outrage and revoke Lukashenko’s domestic and foreign legitimacy.

Belarus: Pre-Election Repressions and Economic Voluntarism
08/2020The public uprising was met with unprecedented repressions. The EU sanctions and economic problems caused by voluntaristic decisions of authorities are on the horizon.

Belarus: Wave of Repression at the Start of the Election Campaign
07/2020Hundreds of people were arrested and fined while the West criticizes the persecution of politicians and bloggers. In the new government, the security forces replaced the market-oriented staff.

Belarus: Street Parade and Elections in Time of Epidemic
06/2020Belarus was cut off from a single Eurasian gas market but won American oil. The election campaign started with detentions, arrests, and fines.

Coronavirus in Belarus: Controversial Decisions and European Solidarity
05/2020The authorities’ policy regarding the epidemic is inconsistent, the economy has to rely on emergency loans.

Perfect storm in Belarusian economy
04/2020(Українська) Власти сочетают сближение с Западом и внутренние репрессии против своих оппонентов, а белорусскую экономику капитально штормит.

Belarus: Common ground with the US?
11/2019(Українська) Внутренняя повестка дня остается сконцентрированной на предстоящих избирательных кампаниях, а подход властей всё ужесточается. А во внешней политике Беларусь делает ставку на диверсификацию и находит общий язык с давними оппонентами.

Belarus: not choosing between “West” and “East”
10/2019Last month saw the launch of campaigns for MPs in both chambers of Belarusian parliament, and the country’s continued active interaction with its partners in the international arena.

Belarus: Rhetoric changes, the system doesn’t
09/2019Parliamentary elections are finally scheduled in Belarus. While the government is walking away from populistic rhetoric in its struggle for the hearts of the voters, nobody expects the parliamentary election to deliver systemic change.

Belarus: The planned elections and an unplanned crisis
06/2019May saw a slight decrease in foreign policy activity and intensification of domestic politics in Belarus. This is the result of preparations for the upcoming elections and the reform of the Constitution, as well as the crisis around the Ministry of Interior Affairs.

Belarus: The path of mobilization
05/2019Belarus has finally decided on the date of the parliamentary and presidential elections. Russia has recalled its notorious ambassador, but its economic pressure continues.

The concept of Belarus information security and its long-term consequences
04/2019What Belarus’ new Information Security Concept says and what consequences it will have for the evolution of its political regime

Belarus: In the grip of the negative and seeking the positive
04/2019March saw a shift of accents in the work of the government and media in Belarus. Excessive attention to tensions in Belarus-Russia relations in January-February was replaced by an emphasis on domestic and economic policies. However, these accents turned out to be mostly negatively colored as well.

Belarus: Preparation for elections and “freezing” of integration with Russia
03/2019In February 2019, Belarusian leadership paid increased attention to the issues of information security. This is a strong signal of the key upcoming election campaigns in the country. The decisions made during this period are both opportunistic and strategic.

Belarus: Between independence and economic benefits
02/2019Belarus further tightens control over its domestic political field. Without Russia’s support, the outlook for its economy is gloomy. Meanwhile, the standoff with Moscow switches from open to positional.

Belarus: The Kremlin’s ultimatum
01/2019(Українська) В декабре напряженность в отношениях между Россией и Беларусью, которую можно было наблюдать в последние годы, вышла на новый уровень и переросла в открытый конфликт.

Belarus “tightens the screws” before the election
12/2018Parliamentary and presidential election campaigns are about to start in Belarus, so the authorities continue to “tighten the screws” in the domestic political field and bank on new appointments to the key positions.

Belarus: All about Lukashenka’s image
11/2018The entire country is gradually focusing on the upcoming presidential election. The entire government and bureaucracy, the 2019 budget, and even international relations are all being used to polish up Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s image.

Belarus: Uncertain relations with Russia
10/2018Within the given period the relations between Belarus and Russia have become a source of mostly negative news. As for the country’s domestic policy, there are some significant changes in the opposition, while economic indicators are demonstrating lower figures for the first time over a rather long period.

New government of Belarus: first steps
09/2018Changing the government the leader of Belarus was rather close to publicly define Russia as the main challenge to the independence and security of Belarus.

Belarus is getting ready for elections: new government and pressure on mass media
09/2018The main task is to achieve the fastest results in the short-term perspective and harden the “control” over independent information flow before the elections.

Belarus: Diplomatic wars with Russia
08/2018Alexander Lukashenko signed a decree to extend the visa-free stay for the foreign citizens from 80 countries from 5 to 30 days

Belarus: From unpredictable Kremlin to the West and the East
07/2018Belarus authorities began preparations for the presidential and parliamentary elections and tried to ease the protest mood with the financial methods

Economy in The Eastern Partnership: partners, competitors or bystanders?
12/2017No general economic platform for the Eastern Partnership countries can’t yet be discussed.

Belarus: New foreign policy challenges
12/2017Instead of the President Vladimir Makei was the head of the Belarusian delegation at the Eastern Partnership Summit

Belarus: Fighting for operation space
11/2017No later than May, 2018 the Russian authorities are launching the temporary border control points on the Belarusian-Russian border.

“Zapad-2017”: Belarus between its ally obligations & regional security commitments
10/2017“Zapad-2017” drills attracted the unprecended international attention as at least from 2008 Russia instrumentalized its large-scale military maneuvers in order to serve its geopolitical purposes

Belarus: Devaluating status of Russia’s irreplaceable ally
10/2017The Foreign Affairs Minister Vladimir Makei yet again introduced “Helsinki-2” initiative in UNO

Belarus: Between “Helsinki-2“ and “Zapad-2017“
09/2017Alexander Lukashenko personally controlled the «harvest fight» collecting political points from the rural areas voters

Belarus: Political games of law enforcement agencies
07/2017Law enforcement agencies grow power in Belarus

Belarus: China’s most special partner
06/2017Partnership with China for Belarus opens the opportunity to hedge its foreign policy risks

Belarus: Balancing foreign policy and reviving the economy
05/2017The State of the Nation address was delivered by the President of the Republic of Belarus to the people of Belarus

Belarus – Russia: Crisis is over?
04/2017The contradictions between Belarus and Russia have always been fundamental

Belarus: ( No) Freedom Day
04/2017Special forces demonstrated the brutality on March 25, on Freedom Day

Belarus: Turbulent February
04/2017February turned out to be restless for Belarus. The necessity of long-overdue economic reforms and, as a consequence, the country’s dissatisfaction with its socio-economic situation has resulted in mass protests on the streets of the capital and in the regions.

Belarus: Threats to the Independence and Sovereignty
03/2017President Lukasheko’s messages focused on the task of ensuring peace and security for Belarus and its need to «keep the gunpowder dry»

Belarus: Establishing Dialogue with the West and New Components in the State Ideology
01/2017Belarusian territory cannot be used by foreign troops for military aggression against neighbouring countries