Belarus: A Denationalized Nation
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"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 the human rights of its citizens, and fundamentally altered its Constitution in favor of presidential authority? Has the country made any progress toward market reforms? How have Russia and the West responded to the actions of Belarus? What is the future likely to hold for its ten million citizens?
"The author's conclusions, which are based on a full examination of political, economic, and social life in the new post-Soviet Republic of Belarus, are optimistic. Belarus, he believes, will survive into the 21st century, but as a Eurasian rather than European state."
See note at bottom.
This book, the author’s second, forms part of his continuing research on Belarus. His first book was Belarus: From Soviet Rule to Nuclear Catastrophe, published in 1996.
The book sets out to "examine the contemporary situation in Belarus; the country’s politics, society, and economy, with the intention of providing a useful guide for scholars, university and college students, and for those doing business in or visiting Belarus." Belarus remains relatively neglected among Western scholars, and in an effort to remedy the situation, the author traveled widely throughout the country over the past five years. He admits, however, that he spent more time with democrats and reformers than with members of the government or the Communist nomenklatura.
The book is divided into six chapters. Chapter 1 provides a brief history of the Belarusian lands from earliest times to the Gorbachev period. Chapter 2 examines the economy in the decade from 1986 to 1996. Chapter 3 looks at the period of perestroika and independence (1985-1993). Chapters 4 and 5 provide a detailed picture of the tumultuous political changes under Lukashenka, with a concentration on domestic issues. Chapter 6 focuses on Belarusian relations with Russia, including the recent Act of Union.
Marples seeks answers to the following questions: "Can Belarus can survive as an independent state? Has [Belarus] relinquished its independence already? If it survives, what form will this survival take?" Political aspects of the present regime are discussed, as is the decline of the population in recent times. The author believes that a Belarusian state will survive into the next century.
Marples is of the view that many of the changes introduced by Lukashenka exist more in theory than in reality. This is particularly true with regard to the formation of the Union with Russia. He sees many basic differences between the two countries and thinks that discussion of the various facets of the Union in the future is likely to pull them further apart rather, than draw them together.
According to Marples, the human rights situation is especially disturbing in Belarus. He cites the following examples: no assistance is afforded in the event of arbitrary arrest; new repressive laws are introduced almost daily; the press is systematically silenced; television is increasingly becoming the direct mouthpiece of the president; referenda and elections are ruthlessly manipulated; telephone lines are frequently tapped; demonstrators are routinely beaten and thrown into jail. The tentacles of the presidency reach into every sphere of life. Belarus’ society resembles a pyramid with the president at its pinnacle. Belarus serves as an example and warning to other post-Soviet states of the dangers of unlimited presidential power. "Were Belarusians seeking a new Stalin? Or did many of them swallow the official propaganda that those arrested were enemies of the state?," asks the author. What is surprising, points out Marples, is that despite such repressions, the president remains popular.
The author notes that at various international conferences over the past few years, he has frequently encountered criticism of Russia for its seeming desire to swallow up Belarus. In Marples’ opinion, while Belarus can adopt the pro-European policies espoused by such opposition leaders as BPF’s Zianon Pazniak, for example, "it cannot completely turn its back on association with Russia." "One can chastise the extent of Russification or the domination of the Russian language in Belarus, but one cannot deny their existence or eradicate them, in Lukashenka style, by a presidential decree."
Marples argues that not everything about Russia is bad. "On the one hand, [Russia] may seem, given past history, like a predator. wishing to link up with and annex its former partners in the USSR. On the other hand, it is thanks partly to Russia that reforms have taken place at all in Belarus. The Russian media have exposed the brutality of some of the actions of the Belarusian militia and the presidential guard in 1995-1997. ... Moreover, Boris Yeltsin has committed his government to the reform process, a factor that Lukashenka cannot ignore. The Belarusian government has few other friends at present."
The author believes that the solution to the Belarusian dilemma is far more likely to come from the East than the West, that integration and union with Russia remain more theoretical than actual, and that integration can also mean different things to each side. In his view, it is vital that Belarus maintains its links with Russian reformers and democrats. "Economically, the country is unlikely to extricate itself from the Russian orbit. Russia, on the other hand, is hardly seeking an economic millstone around its neck."
Marples’ conclusion sounds cautiously optimistic. Belarus, he believes, will survive into the 21st century, but as a Eurasian rather than a European state. Such an outcome would hardly evoke cheers from Belarusian nationalists who don’t believe Russia will ever change her spots.
One should mention that the author lists many Belarusian Review articles in his bibliography as reference material used in the book
Dr. David R. Marples is professor of history at the University of Alberta, Canada.
This book review is copyright by, and appears here courtesy of
Fax (310) 373-0793 E-mail: belreview@aol.com
In the interests of full disclosure: Dr. Marples contributes articles to the Belarusian Review, and the maintainer of this A Belarus Miscellany Web site has on one occasion as well.
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