№15, 2010

This paper argues that state- and nation-building in Ukraine are far from completion twenty years after the declaration of independence. It shows how constitutional struggles, language, citizenship and historiography shaped competing visions of the Ukrainian nation-state.

The article investigates the development of the Belarusian parliament from 1990 to 2010 through changes in the composition of MPs, parliamentary factions, party activity and later political careers. It argues that demographic change and the decline of organized group activity weakened parliament as a channel of political mobility.

The article analyzes how elites in Belgium, Germany, Lithuania and Poland perceive Turkey, the United States and Russia as possible threats to EU cohesion. It shows that these perceptions are shaped by different European identities, ideological positions and visions of the future of the Union.

The article argues that Belarusian social thought in the 1960s and 1970s remained vibrant beneath the surface of Soviet stability. It traces how historiographical debate and samizdat circulation led to the formulation of an idea of Belarusian independence.

The article reconstructs foreign-policy ideas in the Belarusian national-democratic project through the example of Zianon Pazniak. It identifies the project’s main international priorities, including the Baltic-Black Sea regional bloc and possible territorial questions.

The article examines the Centre for Conservative Research at Moscow State University as a sign of the institutionalization of conservative and radical right intellectual spaces in contemporary Russia. It argues that formerly marginal ideological projects are becoming partially legitimized within the Russian political mainstream.

This article studies how an inclusive authoritarian party system was formed in Russia between 1999 and 2008. It highlights the role of electoral reform and explains why the dominance of United Russia should not be reduced to a standard dominant-party model.

The article analyzes the web activity of registered candidates in the 2010 local elections in Minsk. It focuses on internet representation, age differences, organizational affiliation and the content of candidates’ social network accounts.

The review discusses Nelly Bekus’s monograph on identity struggles in independent Belarus and its interpretation of nation-state building and cultural change. It highlights the value of the book for understanding the politics of identity in post-communist Belarus.

The review examines a book on the development of political science at Belarus State University. It considers the state of the Belarusian political science community, research directions, academic hierarchies and recurring structural problems in the field.

This review analyzes a book on the Belarusian Popular Front parliamentary group in the Supreme Council of Belarus in 1990-1995. It critically revisits the interpretation of early independence and the political role assigned to these deputies.

The review presents Belarus as described in the book by J.-C. Lallemand and V. Symaniec: a Soviet-style dictatorship penetrated by hard capitalist mechanisms. It emphasizes the book’s analysis of geopolitics, authoritarianism and the erosion of Belarusian specificity.

The review looks at a study of Belarusian foreign policy from 1991 to 2005 and its explanation of the main stages in the emergence of independent Belarusian diplomacy. It also evaluates how the book interprets the successes and limits of that foreign-policy trajectory.

The review analyzes one of the first comprehensive studies of Belarusian-Ukrainian relations and notes its value for understanding bilateral foreign policy and regional cooperation. It also points to the text’s analytical limitations.

The review discusses a comparative study of post-Soviet capitals Minsk, Vilnius and Baku. It evaluates how successfully the book captures the social and political phenomenon of the capital in post-Soviet conditions.

The review examines a sociological study of youth religiosity in eastern Belarus. It briefly outlines the problem and critically assesses the author’s explanation of religious behavior among young people.

The review analyzes a book on research expeditions to small towns in Belarus and reflects on its methodology and conceptual approach. It raises broader questions about urban studies and local communities in Belarusian scholarship.