|
In December of 2006 independent sociologists conducted an opinion poll among public opinion leaders and experts (those face-to-face interviewed are over 60 policymakers, mass media leaders, scientists and businessmen almost equally representing private and public sectors). Below you may find commentaries to the most important findings of these sociological procedures.
OPINION TRIANGLES
A triangle with the apexes which are the opinion of population and viewpoints of public and private sector elites cannot have rigid characteristics. In this regards, it is more correct to speak about numerous personal triangles built specially for a particular issue. Opinion of the Belarusian elite is not always elitist and this is why construction of the "comprehension language" for the remaining part of the Belarusian society often appears beyond its capacity...
More »»
PRAGMATISM OF A STATESMAN
Determining the topic of month, this is undoubtedly preparations to conversion of fraternal Russia-Belarus relations onto the market and pragmatic basis. Economic price of this issue is $6-7 billion and political – further existence of the authoritarian regime in Belarus. In a word, it has something to talk and argue about. The Belarusian elite don’t believe in diplomatic talents of the president. Both private and public sector employees agree about this...
More »»
REVOLT OF CONFORMISTS
Consolidation of elite is critical for stability of any authoritarian regime, and it should develop around the personality of the leader. In the modern Belarus this condition is observed which is particularly seen in the well-adjusted mechanism of election. Thus, the staff of the election commissions of all levels comprised over 73,000 people at the past presidential election. Choice of such a number of executives loyal to the regime is quite a difficult task yet it is accomplished. Not a single foul-up has been registered over lately...
More »»
BLURRING OF THE BLANK SPOT
The seminar “National Identity of Belarus” held under the auspices of Friedrich Ebert Foundation took place in Minsk in 2003. The collected articles of the seminar included the article “Belarus: Collective Identity or Pluralist Identity?” by German political scientist T. Bayer. We should like to quote the first two paragraphs of the article. “Contrary to the trend in most Eastern European countries under transition, which realized their national identity in the 90-ies, there’s the country that presents a special case...
More »»
INTO EUROPE, WITHOUT NATO
Where does homeland begin? In the opinion of the most part of Belarusian elite (80%), it begins from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. This is 13-18 cc. All other historic precedents are registered as merely the traces. Thus, the Belarusian Popular Republic (1918) received only 8% of votes, BSSR – 5% and the Republic of Belarus formed in 1991 – same 5%...
More »»
| 
