Reassessing Lukashenka Belarus in Cultural and Geopolitical Context [Hardcover]

What are the factors of Lukashenka's longevity at the helm of power? This question is addressed in the context of Belarusian history and identity, not as an outcome of a form of government deceitfully imposed on an allegedly benighted people whom better positioned and informed outsiders seek to enlighten and liberate.1. Introduction 2. Belarusian Economy 3. Belarusian Society 4. Belarus and the West: From Estrangement to Honeymoon and Back to Estrangement 5. Lukashenka's Rise to Power and Belarusian Politics 6. Lukashenka's Personality and Worldview 7. Addendum: Interviews

Real unique selling point for this publication comes in the lengthy addendum, taking up a quarter of the book, which includes the transcript of interviews the author held in 2011 with President Aliaksandr Lukashenka, the first and so far only president of post-Soviet Belarus. & The book paints a far more positive picture of life in contemporary Belarus than most other publications in English. & book does indeed highlight some issues that other scholarly works have often overlooked & . (Matthew Frear, Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 68 (2), March, 2016)

'In this refreshing rejection of globalist doxa concerning the march of democracy, Grigory Ioffe offers a balanced and informed account of one of the contemporary world's most successful political leaders, showing how Alexander Lukashenka has channeled the cultural imperatives of his country and exploited Belarus's strategic position to craft a distinct socio-economic order whose overriding ethos is equality of condition'. - Michael Urban, Emeritus Professor of Politics, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA

Wedged between Russia and Europe, Lukashenka has always played a delicate balancing act between Russia and the West in an increasingly important NATO borderland. Understanding that delicate relationship and what makes Belarus tick is the heart of what Grigory Ioffe addresses in his book. It is rarlC(