E-bulletin of IISEPS Center for Documentation, N 2, 2004 (only Russian)
Content:
Introduction
Theme of the month:
Belarus-Russia relations after the gas conflict: cold pause or a deadlock?
Person of the month:
Notorious imprisonments: struggle against corruption or effective PR?
Document of the month:
Ideological “vertical”: strenghtening of the power or public concord?
Organization of the month:
Belarusian Government: power is real or not?
Introduction:
Dear readers!
Next issue of “Infofocus” is offered to you attention. The gas conflict, fading and inflaming, for the last half a year remained one of a key problems concerning Moscow and Minsk. A new worsening of the Russian – Belarusian relations is our “Theme of the month”. What is the reason of “gas scandal”? How can we estimate its meaning? What are the future of relations of Russia and Belarus which as A. Lukashenko said “would be for a long time poisoned with gas”? Answers to these questions are in the comments of the chief of the Institute of sociopolitical researches Centre for geopolitics research at Administration of the President of Belarus V. Suryaev and the director of Moscow branch of the Centre Karnegi D. Trenin.
Last month was reach for scandals of different kind, concerning both foreign and home policy. During some days heads of Presidential Office G. Zhuravkova and of Belarusian TV E. Rybakov were taken off their posts, arrested and accused of fulfillment of criminal offences. So this time the section “Person of the month” represents two persons at once. Both they are natives of Mogilov region, both are obliged by the career to the head of the state. What is the reason of Juravkova and Rybakov arrests who no doubt were strongly devoted to the president? Does it mean the start of mass rearrangements in Lukashenko’s staff? What kind of nomenclature is he going to base on in future? Former head of presidential Administration L. Sinitsyn and former chief of Law department of Administration of the President A. Plaskovitsky answer the questions.
Campaign for the spread of ideology reached in February its new level – organizational. The president has issued the decree introducing ideological stuff which became our “Document of the month”. Do we need ideological “vertical”? What purposes does the president follow by creating it? How does establishing of single state ideology corresponds with position of the Constitution about pluralism of opinions? Read about it in comments of the former assistant of the head of Administration of the President I. Pashkevich (the author of idea of informational vertical that time) and the editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Nasha Niva” A. Dynko.
In our opinion, “Organization of the month” in February is the government of Belarus. To be more precise the government became the anti organization of the month. It’s the government’s formal duty to solve current economic problems, including question of supply of energy resources to the country. Despite of all numerous prime minister assurances of successful negotiations, all has finished as you know with gas blockade. How independent was the government and prime minister in his actions which had so sad result? Is the government in the whole capable to influence a position of the country on the major economic questions? Would it lead to gas blockade if someone else ruled the Council of Ministers? Former prime minister M. Chigir and the chief of Department of Institute of the countries of the CIS A. Fadeev express their opinions.
We hope, offered materials will be interesting and useful for you. We are waiting for your responses, remarks and offers!
IISEPS executive board