• Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Global logoCarnegie lettermark logo
DemocracyIran
  • Donate
REQUIRED IMAGE
Book

Belarus at the Crossroads

Belarus, although frequently overlooked in the West, is a country critical to the development of the post-Soviet states and to Europe as a whole. Its location alone points to Belarus's importance as a major geopolitical player. On top of that, the ambitions of its president mean that Belarus will likely have a say in the future of Russia, Ukraine, and other neighboring states.

Link Copied
By Robert Legvold and Sherman W. Garnett
Published on Nov 1, 1999

Additional Links

Paperback - $12.95
Program mobile hero image

Program

Russia and Eurasia

The Russia and Eurasia Program continues Carnegie’s long tradition of independent research on major political, societal, and security trends in and U.S. policy toward a region that has been upended by Russia’s war against Ukraine.  Leaders regularly turn to our work for clear-eyed, relevant analyses on the region to inform their policy decisions.

Learn More

Source: Washington

Belarus, although frequently overlooked in the West, is a country critical to the development of the post-Soviet states and to Europe as a whole. Its location alone — bordering Russia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine — points to Belarus's importance as a major geopolitical player. On top of that, the ambitions of its president mean that Belarus will likely have a say in the future of Russia, Ukraine, and other neighboring states.

To address what, to date, has been short-sighted and potentially dangerous neglect of Belarus, the editors of this book bring together essays by specialists from Belarus, Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, and the United States to focus on Belarus's place in the evolving European security environment. No other publication has taken such a diverse approach to this little-understood country.

About the Authors
Sherman W. Garnett dean of James Madison College at Michigan State University. During his five years at the Endowment, he was a senior associate and co-director of the Project on Security and National Identity in the Russia and Eurasia Program and author of Keystone in the Arch: Ukraine in the Emerging Security Environment of Central and Eastern Europe.

Robert Legvold is professor of political science at Columbia University, where he specializes in the international relations of the post-Soviet states. He was director of the Harriman Institute, Columbia University, from 1986 to 1992. Prior to going to Columbia in 1984, he served for six years as senior fellow and director of the Soviet Studies Project at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.

Advance Praise

“There are few good books on modern Belarus, and this is undoubtedly one of the best.”
—Andrew Wilson, The Slavonic and East European Review

“No other publication has taken such a diverse approach to this little understood country.”
—Brookings Institution

About the Authors

Robert Legvold

Robert Legvold is Marshall D. Shulman Professor Emeritus in the Department of Political Science at Columbia University.

Sherman W. Garnett

Authors

Robert Legvold

Robert Legvold is Marshall D. Shulman Professor Emeritus in the Department of Political Science at Columbia University.

Sherman W. Garnett

Additional Links

Paperback - $12.95
Eastern EuropeWestern EuropeSecurity

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.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

  • Ukraine Poland Zelensky Tusk Enlargement EU
    Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    The Uncomfortable Truth About EU Enlargement

    Before the next wave of EU enlargement takes place, the union needs to grapple with thorny questions of how power is distributed among its members.

      • Ditte Brasso Sørensen

      Emil Sondaj Hansen, Ditte Brasso Sørensen

  • large boat sitting off a coastline
    Commentary
    Emissary
    The Impacts of the Houthis’ Advance Could Extend Well Beyond Saudi Arabia

    The Horn of Africa countries are among those facing a new security calculus.

      • Andrew Leber
      • Dr. Lesley Anne Warner

      Andrew Leber, Lesley Anne Warner

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Will the Far Right Change Europe’s Russia Policy?

    The European far right might fail to steer EU policy in the direction Russia wants, but they will create enough chaos inside Europe to benefit the Kremlin.

      Dimitar Bechev

  • Greenland United States Denmark Agreement Nuuk
    Commentary
    The Denmark-Greenland-U.S. Agreement Needs to Stand the Test of Time

    The new U.S.–Denmark–Greenland agreement will help Washington exert political, economic, and financial dominance under the guise of security. Yet, it acknowledged Copenhagen’s and Nuuk’s sovereignty on the island.

      Marc Pierini

  • Ukraine Russia Black Sea Food
    Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    A Black Sea Truce Is About Global Food Security, Too

    A summer of escalation in the Black Sea has hurt Ukraine economically and is exacerbating world food security. A truce is needed—as is a broader reframing of Europe’s Ukraine strategy.

      Thomas de Waal

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie global logo, stacked
1779 Massachusetts Avenue NWWashington, DC, 20036-2103Phone: 202 483 7600
  • Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
  • Donate
  • Programs
  • Events
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Contact
  • Annual Reports
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Government Resources
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.