What Would a Proactive Western Strategy on Belarus Look Like?

Wed. April 17th, 2024
Online

For decades, the West has been unable to build an effective strategy vis-à-vis Belarus due to the country’s limited geopolitical importance, its growing dependence on Moscow, and the absence of leverage over Minsk’s strategic decision-making. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which turned Belarus into a co-aggressor, further stymied the West’s interest in the country, which is increasingly seen merely as the Kremlin’s satellite.

But there is still an opportunity for the West to adopt a new proactive strategy toward Belarus. What benefits would that bring? What policies could be implemented and what effects could they have on the Belarusian economy and society? How can sanctions be used to bolster the autonomy of the Belarusian economy and reduce Russia’s levers of influence?

To investigate the complex challenges and opportunities that Belarus presents to Western countries, we held an online discussion with Artyom Shraibman, a non-resident scholar at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center and the author of the paper “Getting Off the Back Foot: Guiding Principles for a Proactive Western Strategy on Belarus,” and Lev Lvovskiy, academic director of the Belarusian economic research center, BEROC. Moderator: Alesia Rudnik, director of the Center for New Ideas.

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
event speakers

Artyom Shraibman

Nonresident Scholar, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center

Artyom Shraibman is a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center.

Alesia Rudnik

Alesia Rudnik

Director of the Center for New Ideas

Alesia Rudnik is the director of the Center for New Ideas.

Lev Lvovskiy

Lev Lvovskiy

Academic director of the Belarusian economic research center, BEROC

Lev Lvovskiy is academic director of the Belarusian economic research center, BEROC.