Publication

The commentary discusses the effects of the dispersal of the post-election demonstrators on 19 December 2010. The author argues that it initiated major changes in both domestic and foreign politics in Belarus. The freezing of European Union-Belarus relations caused by human-rights violations led to an increase in the political and economic dependence of Belarus on Russia. Regardless of the condition of relations with Belarus, the EU should support Belorussian civil society and use tools of cooperation, such as the Eastern Partnership and regional cooperation to engage with Belorussian authorities.