Loading...
RSS
Belarus-Russia relations Belarusian language Belarusian military travel to Belarus
Why Support Belarus Digest?
Belarusians in Poland: Living Together but Separately
olrla2.jpeg
On 12 August Polish hooligans attacked Belarusian journalists and activists in Warsaw. Although such incidents are rare, old stereotypes and prejudices often make life for Belarusians in Poland difficult. Such stereotypes also provoke anti-Belarusian acts of vandalism. Although Poland guarantees...
20 August 2012
999349666.jpg
Beyond High Politics: German Organisations in Belarus

As a result of the Belarus-Sweden diplomatic conflict, many media stated once again that  Belarus is now “even more isolated” than it was before. Last Tuesday, the Belarusian ambassador to Berlin, Andrei Giro, was ordered to come to the German Foreign Ministry as...

16 August 2012
epam2.jpeg
Programmers in Belarus: the Cream of Society

The 2012 university admissions campaign in Belarus has just finished and reflects a very interesting trend. However good Belarusian higher education is for engineers, physicists, and mathematicians, that does not seem to matter to young people anymore. They want...

14 August 2012
minsk_bombing.jpeg
Interpol Clashes with BBC over 2011 Minsk Metro Bombing

On 30 July, BBC showed a controversial documentary about the 2011 terrorist attack in Minsk where 15 people died and over 200 were injured. It questioned the guilt of the two men convicted and subsequently executed for it. The...

18 July 2012
91.jpg
Why Belarusian Authorities Fear Public Opinion

On 29 June the lower chamber of the Belarusian parliament – the House of Representatives – approved in a first reading amendments which introduce harsher administrative liability for non-licensed public opinion surveys. The bill further restricts possibilities for independent research...

19 June 2012
belarus_girl_tshirt-p235167036964454282bh9yo_225.jpg
Time to Boost Belarus’ Fallow Female Potential

Imagine you are young and well-educated. Imagine you study in one of the world’s best universities and conduct research for your PhD thesis on security policy. Imagine that the first question the people who could be your colleagues ask...

13 June 2012
miss_breast_belarus.jpg
Sex Tours Save the Belarusian Tourist Industry

"We do not cultivate the idea of sex tourism in Belarus. But if  has an interest, let him look for it, meet girls and marry". This is how the deputy Minister of Sports and Tourism Cheslau Shulha recently answered a...

12 June 2012
luka-kiev.jpg
The European Myth of Belarusian Socialism

Last weekend, the Party of the European Left held a conference in Minsk. Some delegates were denied entry to Belarus although the party has frequently taken a moderate position on the European Parliament's resolutions on Belarus. In the past, the...

8 June 2012
pensions.jpg
Belarus Pension System Needs an Unpopular Reform

In his annual address Lukashenka outlined the essence of his relationship with the official unions. Stalin would call the official Belarus trade unions driving belts of his policies. But the form of expression does not change the reality -...

10 May 2012
spravavodstva_pa_belarusku.png
NGO Assembly, Here you can Be Served in Belarusian – Civil Society Digest

NGO Assembly was refused to hold its Congress the last minute.  “Here you can be served in Belarusian” campaign kicks off in Gomel. The Office for the Rights of People with Disabilities presents its survey on attitudes towards people with...

8 May 2012
16-iyulya-1944.jpg
Why Belarus is Missing in World War II History

Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenka frequently refers to the Second World War in his quarrels with the West. Lukashenka added to the Soviet Victory Day celebrated on 9 May another official holiday, 3 July, the day when the Red Army took...

7 May 2012
students_belarus.gif
Mandatory Placement: A Soviet Remnant of Belarusian Higher Education

May is always a hot time for students in their final year at Belarusian universities. They have to prepare for their final exams, finish their papers and start thinking about graduation ball dresses. But besides that, nearly a third...

26 April 2012
charnobyl.jpg
The Echo of Chernobyl

26 April is a very sad day in Belarusian history. On 26 April 1986 a disastrous accident took place at a nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, just across the border in Ukraine. It became one of the most horrible man-made...

19 April 2012
7_wma.jpg
Selling Russian to the Russians

This week the Belarusian Association of Advertisers announced a competition for the best poster in popularising the Belarusian language. They want to draw public attention to "one of the most painful social problems” - the low usage of Belarusian in...

18 April 2012
hilfstransport.jpg
Germany and Belarus: Why People’s Diplomacy Doesn’t Work

The argument for loosening the visa regime for Belarusian citizen is that people to people contacts must improve. At a time when the official diplomatic relations are at an all-time low, it seems that the exchange between ordinary...