While the future of Aleksander Lukashenko’s regime in Belarus following the grotesquely rigged presidential election seems bleaker by the day, the prospects of the country’s conversion to democracy, rule of law, and market economy remain equally uncertain. But that is not a reason for despair. It is a reason for Western policymakers to take the Belarusian challenge much more seriously than they currently do.First of all, expectations must be managed. Whether or not one considers Ukraine’s recent past a success story, Belarus is not Ukraine. Prior to 2014, Ukrainians already had a fair deal of experience with democracy, however flawed. …read more
Source:: The American Interest
