Belarus is one of the least-studied European states to emerge from the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Nevertheless, Belarus constitutes an important and sensitive border region between Russia and the western part of the continent. In Postcommunist Belarus, a stellar group of contributors offers an important, coherent, and comparative perspective on this little-known country.

Stephen White is professor of international politics and a senior associate member of the School of Central and East European Studies at the University of Glasgow. Elena Korosteleva, former British Academy Research Fellow at Glasgow University, is lecturer in European Politics, Department of International Politics, University of Wales, Aberystwyth. John Löwenhardt is senior research fellow at Clingendael, the Netherlands Institute of International Relations.

Chapter 1 Post-Soviet Belarus: In Search of Direction Chapter 2 Patterns of Political Culture Chapter 3 The Emergence of a Party System Chapter 4 Lukashenko and the Postcommunist Presidency Chapter 5 The Dynamics of the 2001 Presidential Election Chapter 6 The Belarus Economy: Suspended Animation between State and Market Chapter 7 Belarus and the East Chapter 8 Belarus and the West Chapter 9 Belarus and Postcommunist Democratization