ArchivesHow do energy politics impact national sovereignty of Belarus? Situation overview
Read the introduction here.
In the last ten years, Belarusian economy fueled with cheap Russian energy experienced high growth rates; however, such rapid economic development parallels a process of a close political alliance with Russia and potentially might threaten Belarusian sovereignty. In order to fully understand events and factors that led Belarus to such position, a number of broad historical and economic perspectives should be adapted and analyzed.
The very basic yet important factor is a geographical location of Belarus. It makes this republic an important economic transit zone for many European countries and yet it also makes it very vulnerable to external political and economic pressures. In matter of fact, this factor greatly contributed to general underdevelopment of Belarus up until the Russian revolution in 1917. Following the WWII, Belarus experienced a rapid economic growth and development of heavy industrial sector that put it in a position of producer relying on external sources of energy and raw materials.
The National Symbol of Belarus
After Belarus gained independence in 1991, it faced a situation where it had to decide on its future political and economic path. Unlike some other former Soviet republics where strong nationalist sentiments supported orientation towards the West, Belarus chose to ally itself with Russia. General lack of national self-identification, social dissatisfaction with painful market reforms and nostalgia of the relative stability in the Soviet Union, all weighted heavily on this decision. Such conditions also helped Alexander Lukashenka to win the first ever Presidential elections.
Running on a platform that emphasized cultural and economic ties – also let’s not forget his pledge to fight corruption – he reversed market reforms, re-instituted central economic planning and made steps towards union with Russia By securing subsidized energy imports and raw materials, Belarus saw significant economic growth that was touted by the officials as Belorussian economic miracle. Despite friendly relations with Russia and in return for economic benefits, Belarus had to make a number of concessions that significantly reduced its political power. And while Belorussian officials claim that nothing will ever seriously undermine Belarus’ ability to overcome political and economic hurdles, a number of analysts state that official prognosis might not be realistic.
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