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Articles published in Eurozine
Tymoshenko: Wake-up call for the EU
The EU shouldn't be surprised by the Tymoshenko verdict: its support of anything nominally reformist has been perceived as acceptance of a range of repressions. Tough measures are now needed to prevent another authoritarian state forming on the EU's borders. [German version added] [more]
How to reach Belarus
Attempts to compensate for Belarusian lack of national pride by turning the country into a fortress and uniting nationality and religion are "insane", says Rashed Chowdhury. "Belarus can be a Christian country, but it must never be a country for Christians." [more]
The EU-Belarus dialogue: Opportunity or simulacrum?
The EU has commenced a new, pragmatic stage of relations with Belarus: in February, Javier Solana met Alexander Lukashenka; now, the Belarusian president has been invited to a summit in Prague. Is self-interest the sole reason for the EU's change of tack? [more]
Caught in the crossfire
The Belarusian government has cited offence caused by the reprinting of the Danish Muhammad cartoons as a pretext for a further crackdown on the independent media. Nevertheless, within parts of the Belarusian opposition, hostility towards Muslims is real. [more]
Democracy and philosophy
Moral insight "is a matter of imagining a better future, and observing the results of attempts to bring that future into existence". In "Kritika&Kontext", Richard Rorty (1931-2007) outlines the anti-foundationalist premise of his philosophy. [more]
Sacrificial therapy
Letter from a prison in Minsk
"Being imprisoned feels like being pregnant: it's worrying at the beginning and at the end." Andrej Dynko, Belarusian opposition journalist and editor, spent ten days in prison last year on "hooliganism" charges. His prison diary has won him the Lorenzo Natali European Commission Prize for journalists writing on human rights issues. [more]
Democracy promotion at a dead end
Europe is failing in Belarus
European charters for democratic reform have run aground in Belarus. Expressions of solidarity are not enough: Europe needs to adopt the US strategy of promoting the opposition directly. [more]
Is the West serious about the "last European dictatorship"?
Western civil society should stop tolerating cynical realpolitik towards Belarus and put pressure on their governments to blacklist offending officials. [more]
One president, three challengers
Assessing Belarusian election politics
Why the opposition failed to match Lukashenko's mass support, "despite" their respective policies. [more]
The Belarusian election: Who best learnt from the Orange Revolution?
Lukashenko may have won another victory, but he hasn't succeeded in abolishing politics, writes Andrew Wilson. [more]
An election turned inside out
Looking behind Belarusian election dramaturgy
In the game of bluff leading up to the Belarusian elections, one thing is for sure: despite its apparent superiority, the Lukashenko regime is worried. [more]
Orientalism and the "casus belarus"
Detached from social reality and idealizing metropolitan western Europe, there is a trend among Belarusian intellectuals to "orientalize" Belarus. [more]
The Belarusian opposition
Preparation for the presidential campaign of 2006
Could the Belarusian democratic opposition be alienating floating voters in its 2006 election campaign? An outside observer offers criticism. [more]
"Sovetskaya Belorussiya" and propaganda discourse
A discourse analysis shows that the Belarusian state newspaper Sovetskaya Belorussiya plays fast and loose with the facts. [more]
Will the Orange spark ignite in Belarus?
The single candidate's chances at the 2006 election
What tactics can the Belarusian opposition expect to face from the Lukashenko government in the run-up to the elections in 2006? [more]
Revolution and anti-revolution in the post-Soviet space
The "coloured revolutions" have been a lesson for the Russian and Belarusian governments on the formation of democratic, non-violent opposition. With elections in Belarus set for September 2006, the "denim revolutionaries" must prove they are effective. [more]
The national language debate in Belarus
Russian-speakers in Belarus accuse Belarusian-speakers of "national psychosis". Is a reconciliation of nationalism with liberalism possible in Belarus? [more]
How to have become a nationalist
From hard-line Soviet to touchy-feely populist, Belarusian president Lukashenko has ploughed an erratic political course. If Russian subsidies continue to fall, his nationalism might turn out to be genuine. [more]
Between brotherly Russia and peaceful Europe
On Belarus and its inhabitants. What kind of politicians are most successful in this country and why? [more]
The well-dressed people of Belarus
Why dressing extravagantly can be a way of coming to terms with the socialist past. [more]
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