Browsing by Author "Usov, Pavel"

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    Evolution of the Belarus-Russia Union State: from integration to attempts of incorporation
    (Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II, 2020) Usov, Pavel
    Russian-Belarus political and economic integration was one of the basic factors of the forming of the neo-authoritarian regime in Belarus. Russian economic support for president Lukashenko provided rapid winding up of democratic transformation in Belarus and preserved the administrative managing of the national economy. For a long period, Belarus society had been stuck in the soviet style of political life. At the same time, such a style of the political system allowed Russia to keep Belarus in the sphere of its cultural and geopolitical influence. As a result, Belarus was hardly open to a constructive relations with the West, and regular political repressions kept the country isolated. During the second period of Lukashenko’s authoritarian rule, when the Russian policy got significantly more aggressive, the integration became destructive for Belarusian statehood. It is evident that Moscow has been trying to realize an idea to restore some kind of a new empire project, and uses different tools to achieve the goal. It might be said that integration is one of the mechanisms of a hybrid war which Russia wages against post-Soviet republics. Taking into consideration that Belarus has not developed full economic and political relations with the West, its economic and political system is widely dependent on Russia, which puts Belarus in a difficult, critical position. The continuation of the integration with Russia may result in the loss of Belarus’ independence. Even though Lukashenko has been able to resist Kremlin’s insistence on the “deeper integration”, Belarus is still a part of the Union State, and stability of the political and economic system of the country depends on Russian support. No doubt, Moscow will continue its policy of wider control and subordination of Belarus. continue its policy of wider control and subordination of Belarus.