BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS
DATE:
22/12/2010
Belarus risks alienating both Russia, EU in wake of political crackdown
By Fred Weir
In one night of police violence and mass arrests after opposition activists took to the streets to protest alleged vote-rigging, Mr. Lukashenko may have compromised his long-term survival strategy of turning to the European Union as a means of offsetting his dependence on Russia, Belarus' traditional sponsor.
When Russia started trimming the subsidies that kept Belarus' economy afloat in 2008, Lukashenko accepted loans from the International Monetary Fund. Last year, Belarus joined the EU's Eastern Partnership, which is designed as a first step on the long road to membership, and was promised significant European aid if Belarus could show improvements in its dismal human rights record.
Source:
http://en.rian.ru/valdai_foreign_media/20101222/161883627.html
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