4 April 2017 WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON BELARUS

On 4 April 2017, the First Washington Conference on Belarus, “Revisiting Relations: Legacy and Prospects of U.S.-Belarus Bilateral Relations,” will take place in Washington, DC (USA).

The Political Sphere Institute is one of the conference partners.

With the opening of the Belarusian embassy in Washington and the U.S. embassy in Minsk 25 years ago, official diplomatic relations were established between the two countries.

Since then, relations between Belarus and the United States have not been stable.

They have gone through an initial rise (1991–1994), decline (1994–1996), a deep crisis (1996–2008), an attempt at normalization (2008–2010), a new crisis (2010–2014), and another attempt at normalization (after 2014).

These fluctuations were determined both by events in Belarus and by the country’s difficult position between East and West.

Not least because of the deterioration of relations between Russia and the West since 2014, relations between Belarus and the United States have improved significantly: both sides are looking for a new format of cooperation and appear ready for compromise on problematic political and geopolitical issues.

In this situation, it is essential to understand accurately the political legacy, current state, and problems of bilateral relations.

The First Washington Conference on Belarus, organized by the Belarusian Institute of America (BIA) and the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), aims to discuss the opportunities, prospects, and directions of cooperation between the United States and Belarus.

It will bring together a broad circle of researchers and experts, politicians and officials, representatives of civil society, and other parties interested in Belarus and Belarusian-American relations.
preliminary PROGRAM
10.00-10.20.

Welcoming remarks.

Brief presentation of the study “United States-Belarus: Outlines of Political and Economic Relations, 1992–2017” (BIA, GMF).
10.20-11.50.

Panel 1.

Legacy: Hopes, Missed Opportunities, Clashes, and Progress in U.S.-Belarus Relations.
11.50-12.20.

Coffee break.
12.20-14.00.

Panel 2.

Prospects: Current State, Challenges, Mutual Interests, and Differences in U.S.-Belarus Relations.

For all questions regarding the event, please contact us by email: [email protected] .

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ORGANIZERS
The Belarusian Institute of America (BIA) is a non-profit organization founded in 2015 to develop and support research, analytical, and civic initiatives, as well as to expand knowledge about Belarus in the United States and abroad.

The Belarusian Institute of America works to form and support an academic and expert community on Belarusian issues in the United States and abroad, as well as to create a stable platform for expanding opportunities for cooperation, communication, and intellectual exchange between scholars and specialists of both countries.

The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) strengthens transatlantic cooperation on regional, national, and global challenges and opportunities in the spirit of the Marshall Plan.

Founded in 1972 as a non-partisan non-profit organization, GMF contributes to research, analysis, and convening leaders on transatlantic policy-relevant issues.

GMF offers leaders opportunities to develop their skills and contacts through transatlantic exchange, and also supports civil society in the Balkans and the Black Sea region by promoting democratic initiatives, the rule of law, and regional cooperation.