The good, the bad, and the ambitious
Democracy and autocracy promoters competing in Belarus
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6260941 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Katsiaryna Yakouchyk (University of Passau, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2016 |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 195-224 |
| Publication date | 2016-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | European Political Science Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1755-7739 • E-ISSN: 1755-7747 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s1755773914000459 |
| OpenAlex | W2133253178 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 14 |
| References cited | 47 |
How do China, Russia, and the European Union (EU) facilitate or hinder political liberalization in Belarus? In this paper, using the qualitative case study method, I primarily highlight the competition that the EU faces with the Russian active autocracy promotion in Belarus. The EU provides aid only in exchange for promise of democratic and economic reforms, which might be very costly and danger the persistence of ruling elites. Russia, at the same time, offers economic and diplomatic support to Belarus, which is, however, conditioned by privatization of the Belarusian strategic assets in favor of Russian stakeholders. I also claim that China, with growing international ambitions, passively supports autocracy in Belarus, by providing financial aid without interfering with internal political affairs. For Belarus, whose leadership still enjoys legitimation by a large part of the population due to the economic stability, losing major state enterprises might weaken sovereignty. Thus, diversification of economic partners is of crucial importance for Belarus. I argue that Belarusian ruling elites may have found an escape away from democratic and autocratic pushes from the EU and Russia, respectively, by increasing linkages with China. To promote effectively democracy in its neighborhood, the EU ought to reconsider interactions with external non-democratic actors. The paper concludes by providing some policy recommendations for the EU
Autocracy · Business · China · Competition (biology · Democracy · Diversification (marketing strategy · Economic system · Economics · Liberalization · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Population · Sociology · Eastern European Communism and Reforms · European Politics and Security · European Union Policy and Governance · Law
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The International Dimension of Autocratisation
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Authoritarian Diffusion, or the Geopolitics of Self-Interest? Evidence from Russia’s Patron–Client Relations with Eurasia’s De Facto States
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Battle over the box
| Unique citing works | 14 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,4 |
| Citation span | 2016 - 2026 (11) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 14 |