Europe's Last Dictatorship

Abstract

Belarus remains the last authoritarian state in Europe. Fundamental rights and civil liberties are denied by the surviving anachronistic Soviet-style regime, drifting away from the European democratic model. This article describes today's Belarus, portraying the new brand of Soviet dictatorship represented by Lukashenka's Belarus (‘lukashism’), whose main features are fear, complete economic dependence of the population on the authorities and financial support from Russia. Since Belarus is in a strategically crucial position for the transit of energy sources to Western Europe, it is of utmost interest to European states to promote stability and democracy in the country. Accordingly, Europe (together with the US) has a key role in helping the Belarusian opposition open a dialogue for a democratic transition while preserving Belarus from the risk of unification with Russia, which could be the outcome of Lukashenka's last-ditch attempt to defend his neo-Soviet power.