Papers by Yuliya Brel (Brel-Fournier)
European Politics and Society, 2024
This article discusses and contextualizes U.S. foreign policy preferences towards Belarus. It ana... more This article discusses and contextualizes U.S. foreign policy preferences towards Belarus. It analyses how traditional and modern foreign policy instruments can be used to hold authoritarian rulers accountable for violations and anti-democratic practices; how U.S. actions may counter such regimes. It interrogates how the U.S. prioritizes countries for diplomatic engagement. Our emphasis is on engagement with Belarus, given its distance from the U.S., but proximity to increasingly authoritarian Russia. Indeed, there are many reasons to renew strategic U.S. diplomacy there, though interest in Belarus abated following the return of its nuclear weapons to Russia. Factors such as Belarus’ economic dependence on Russia, its annihilation of civil society and open support of Russian aggression in Ukraine, among others, signal a need for the U.S. to reconsider a renewed alliance with the country.
The South African Association for Public Administration and Management, Mar 1, 2017
The institutional structure of the public sector in the Republic of Belarus is rather complex, wi... more The institutional structure of the public sector in the Republic of Belarus is rather complex, with the key role in it belonging to the state. The latter is appealed to when it becomes necessary to correct and compensate for the market failures. The recent crisis in the housing and utilities sector illustrates to what extent the Belarusian public sector
is capable of compensating for the market failures and alleviating social inequality.
The article considers why the Soviet welfare system was preserved in Belarus. Based on
the extant scholarship, official documents and available secondary data, it argues
that President Lukashenko retained the old system to help maintain his personal
power. In addition, Belarusian bureaucracy was allowed to pursue its own interests in
exchange for the support of the President. Strengthened by favourable exogenous
drivers, the system was functioning quite successfully, making the introduction of
liberal reforms seemingly unnecessary. Once the external market conditions changed,
the state became unable to provide the people with further improvement in well-people.
The new situation made the President look for a different strategy to ensure his political longevity. The prospects of the current strategy for success, however, are not certain.
The foreign policy of Russia in the near abroad is the continuation of its domestic policy, which... more The foreign policy of Russia in the near abroad is the continuation of its domestic policy, which includes the consolidation of the population around a leader by means of creating an image of an enemy, especially at times when the economic situation in the country is deteriorating. When interpreting the inner processes in the country, political scientists usually apply the decomposition of the totalitarian Soviet regime as a framework. This paper suggests a broader framework through an analysis of historical structures anchored in Russian civilization. The key to understanding Russia's foreign policy, I argue, is rooted in the imperial syndrome associated with the country’s history, whether one considers the tsarist, Soviet, or post-Soviet periods. At present, Russia’s desire to restore its status as a world power, as in the past, requires it to develop a foreign policy secured by control of its nearest neighbors. For centuries, it purchased their loyalty and fealty with natural...
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Papers by Yuliya Brel (Brel-Fournier)
is capable of compensating for the market failures and alleviating social inequality.
The article considers why the Soviet welfare system was preserved in Belarus. Based on
the extant scholarship, official documents and available secondary data, it argues
that President Lukashenko retained the old system to help maintain his personal
power. In addition, Belarusian bureaucracy was allowed to pursue its own interests in
exchange for the support of the President. Strengthened by favourable exogenous
drivers, the system was functioning quite successfully, making the introduction of
liberal reforms seemingly unnecessary. Once the external market conditions changed,
the state became unable to provide the people with further improvement in well-people.
The new situation made the President look for a different strategy to ensure his political longevity. The prospects of the current strategy for success, however, are not certain.
is capable of compensating for the market failures and alleviating social inequality.
The article considers why the Soviet welfare system was preserved in Belarus. Based on
the extant scholarship, official documents and available secondary data, it argues
that President Lukashenko retained the old system to help maintain his personal
power. In addition, Belarusian bureaucracy was allowed to pursue its own interests in
exchange for the support of the President. Strengthened by favourable exogenous
drivers, the system was functioning quite successfully, making the introduction of
liberal reforms seemingly unnecessary. Once the external market conditions changed,
the state became unable to provide the people with further improvement in well-people.
The new situation made the President look for a different strategy to ensure his political longevity. The prospects of the current strategy for success, however, are not certain.