Product Description

In any assessment and understanding of Belarus, the key questions to address include: why has Belarus apparently rejected independence under its first president, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, and sought a union with Russia? why has the government rejected democracy, infringed on the human rights of its citizens and fundamentally altered its constitution in favour of presidential authority? has the country made any progress toward market reforms? how have Russia and the west responded to the actions of Belrus? and what is the future likely to hold for its ten million citizens? The author's conclusions are optimistic, Belarus, he believes, will survive into the 21st century, but as a Eurasian rather than a European state.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3610627 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 130 pages

Customer Reviews

Excellent on 1990's politics but poor on economic and social
A good introduction to the history of Belarus and an excellent and thorough review of the political scene from 1986 to December 1997. However Marples misses focus on some of the key ecoomic and social factors which help explain the unique political and economic situation in Belarus.

In particular little or no mention is made of:

i) Mass emigration to other parts of Europe of younger, often better educated, Belarussians. This has had a multiplier effect on population reduction. Also the loss of skills and energy has had a negative impact on the economic and politcal vitalty of the country.

ii)Mass emigration of the Jewish intellegensia, particularly from Minsk and Vitebsk.

iii) The failure to develop private sector service based industries where capital start up costs are low and Belarus' very low prices and costs would be attractive to overseas investors.

iv) Belarus' strength in the Agriculturial sector, and the resulting advantages and disadvantages that brings.

Detailed, useful, but too much opinion.
This book is a very useful introduction to the post Soviet politics of Belarus. However, the book does not deal with the reality of the appeal of Lukashenko as a president, but rather sticks to the now familiar hostile approach. People voted for him, why? David Marples has conducted an excellent study drawing on many sources, but appears to have decided that Lukashenko is evil/negative without telling the reader why. There is no significant exploration of the fact mentioned in the book that when Lukashenko took power state cash reserves were only $10,000,000 and yet his government has continued to pay for a social security system of free healthcare, and education, plus pensions etc. This is a fact that other former Soviet states are envious of, as crash reforms, have not looked after the people who paid into the country, but have instead created a new class of very rich oligarchs.
I honestly believe that an objective biography of Lukashenko's Belarus is long overdue, with at least some explaination of his policies and ideals. Opinion and damnation are of no use in understanding this most Soviet of former Soviet republics.