Preempting Democracy: The Case of Belarus

Issue Date October 2005
Volume 16
Issue 4
Page Numbers 83-97
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Having drawn lessons from the downfall of some of his fellow autocrats, President Alyaksandr Lukashenka is preventing the emergence of an effective democratic movement in Belarus.

About the Author

Vitali Silitski is director of the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies. He has been a visiting fellow at the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law at Stanford University (2006–2007), and a Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy (2004–2005).

View all work by Vitali Silitski

Further Reading

Volume 33, Issue 4

How to Compete in Unfair Elections

Opposition movements often boycott rigged polls rather than risk legitimizing an autocrat. It is usually a mistake. Here is the playbook for how one opposition seized the advantage.

Volume 13, Issue 4

Dark Days in Belarus

Why did Belarusians return dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka to power in September 2001? Could a better-managed opposition campaign have made a difference?

Volume 17, Issue 4

Belarus: Learning From Defeat

The Belarusian presidential election of March 2006 appeared to be an exercise in meaninglessness, while the protests against manipulation by the Lukashenka regime seemed a study in futility. But appearances…