Europe Closes the Door on Belarus

{
  "authors": [
    "Matthew Rojansky"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "ctw",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "russia",
  "programs": [
    "Russia and Eurasia"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "Eastern Europe",
    "Belarus"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform",
    "Democracy"
  ]
}

In The Media

Europe Closes the Door on Belarus

With the latest round of sanctions and the decision to recall ambassadors from Minsk, the European Union has effectively closed the door on Belarus.

By Matthew Rojansky

Published on Feb 29, 2012

Source: Voice of Russia

Since the controversial re-election of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenka in December 2010—and the accompanying crackdown on many protestors and opposition candidates—relations between Belarus and the European Union have deteriorated. In an interview with Voice of Russia, Carnegie’s Matthew Rojansky argued that the latest round of European Union sanctions on Belarus and the decision to recall EU member states’ ambassadors from Minsk clearly signal that “Europe has closed the door” on Belarus. Although European Union officials—most notably Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski – have traditionally adopted a “soft power approach” toward Belarus, Rojansky noted that Lukashenka has rejected the carrot of European integration and “really spat in their faces.” Rojansky described the pattern in relations between Belarus and the West as one in which “Belarus escalates and the West responds.” As a result, “Lukashenka made himself totally vulnerable and totally exposed to Moscow because he has no friends left in the West,” Rojansky concluded.

About the Author

Matthew Rojansky

Former Deputy Director, Russia and Eurasia Program

Rojansky, formerly executive director of the Partnership for a Secure America, is an expert on U.S. and Russian national security and nuclear-weapon policies.

Recent Work

Paper
An Opportunity for Ambition: Ukraine’s OSCE Chairmanship
- Matthew Rojansky
In The Media
Presiding Over the OSCE: Challenges and Opportunities
- Matthew Rojansky

Political Reform Democracy Eastern Europe Belarus

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 Russia Eurasia Center

Commentary
Carnegie Politika
Moldova Floats a New Approach to Its Transnistria Conundrum
Moldova’s reintegration plan was drawn up to demonstrate to Brussels that Chișinău is serious about the Transnistria issue—and to get the West to react.
Vladimir Solovyov
Commentary
Carnegie Politika
After Ilia II: What Will a New Patriarch Mean for Georgia?
The front-runner to succeed Ilia II, Metropolitan Shio, is prone to harsh anti-Western rhetoric and frequent criticism of “liberal ideologies” that he claims threaten the Georgian state. This raises fears that under his leadership the Georgian Orthodox Church will lose its unifying role and become an instrument of ultraconservative ideology.
Bashir Kitachaev
Commentary
Carnegie Politika
Lukashenko’s Bromance With Trump Has a Sell-By Date
Lukashenko is willing to make big sacrifices for an invitation to Mar-a-Lago or the White House. He also knows that the clock is ticking: he must squeeze as much out of the Trump administration as he can before congressional elections in November leave Trump hamstrung or distracted.
Artyom Shraibman
Commentary
Carnegie Politika
Tokayev’s New Constitution Is a Bet on Stability—At Freedom’s Expense
Kazakhstan’s new constitution is an embodiment of the ruling elite’s fears and a self-serving attempt to preserve the status quo while they still can.
Serik Beysembaev
Commentary
Carnegie Politika
The Kremlin Is Destroying Its Own System of Coerced Voting
The use of technology to mobilize Russians to vote—a system tied to the relative material well-being of the electorate, its high dependence on the state, and a far-reaching system of digital control—is breaking down.
Andrey Pertsev

More Work from Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

Moldova Floats a New Approach to Its Transnistria Conundrum

Moldova’s reintegration plan was drawn up to demonstrate to Brussels that Chișinău is serious about the Transnistria issue—and to get the West to react.

Vladimir Solovyov

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

After Ilia II: What Will a New Patriarch Mean for Georgia?

The front-runner to succeed Ilia II, Metropolitan Shio, is prone to harsh anti-Western rhetoric and frequent criticism of “liberal ideologies” that he claims threaten the Georgian state. This raises fears that under his leadership the Georgian Orthodox Church will lose its unifying role and become an instrument of ultraconservative ideology.

Bashir Kitachaev

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

Lukashenko’s Bromance With Trump Has a Sell-By Date

Lukashenko is willing to make big sacrifices for an invitation to Mar-a-Lago or the White House. He also knows that the clock is ticking: he must squeeze as much out of the Trump administration as he can before congressional elections in November leave Trump hamstrung or distracted.

Artyom Shraibman

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

Tokayev’s New Constitution Is a Bet on Stability—At Freedom’s Expense

Kazakhstan’s new constitution is an embodiment of the ruling elite’s fears and a self-serving attempt to preserve the status quo while they still can.

Serik Beysembaev

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

The Kremlin Is Destroying Its Own System of Coerced Voting

The use of technology to mobilize Russians to vote—a system tied to the relative material well-being of the electorate, its high dependence on the state, and a far-reaching system of digital control—is breaking down.

Andrey Pertsev