Fraternal Friction or Fraternal Fiction? The Gas Factor in Russian-Belarusian Relations.
Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko – known for his outlandish comments – reputedly said: ‘Belarus’s unique situation lies in the fact I am indebted to no one.’1His words are not without a modicum of truth. Western Europe has little in the way of leverage over Belarus’ s unpredictable president, whose ten-year reign has seen the country shift towards greater isolation as relations with the West have soured owing – in part – to the non-democratic practices of Lukashenko, such as a clamp-down on the media and the alleged fixing of his September 2001 re-election.
Categories:
Country and Regional Studies , Energy Economics , Energy Policy , Energy Security , Gas , Gas Programme
Tags:
CIS , Common Economic Space , Gazprom , LNG , Lukashenko , NG 8 , NG8 , Putin , Russia-Belarus , Russian-Belarusian Union , Soviet Union , Trade Relations , Transit Routes