Belarus and the US: Diplomacy and pragmatics

Moderator:

Elena Korosteleva, Professor Politics and Global Sustainable Development at the University of Warwick, Visiting Professor at the Oxford Belarus Observatory, University of Oxford.

Speakers: 

1.    Valery Kavaleuski, Deputy Head of the Cabinet; Representative on Foreign Affairs, Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

2.    David Kramer, Former United States Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour; Bradford M. Freeman Managing Director of Global Policy, George W. Bush Institute 

3.    Alla Leukavets, Policy Analyst, Research Fellow at  the Stockholm Center for East European Studies

4.    Alexander Cooley, Director of the Harriman Institute, Columbia University, New York, and Claire Tow Professor of Political Science at Barnard College

Bilateral relations between the United States and Belarus had been complex and unstable even before the 2020 Belarusian election. A breakthrough in relations, which took place in 2019, associated with an agreement on the exchange of ambassadors between the countries, has been wiped out by Aliaksandr Lukashenka's refusal to resign after the de facto loss of the presidential election, which gave rise to the protests and subsequent repressions across the country. Further developments in US-Belarusian relations included intensive contacts with Belarusian democratic political leadership in exile and increased support for civil society. In parallel, broad sanctions against representatives of the Belarusian regime, state-owned enterprises and some businesses have been implemented. The Belarusian authoritarian government has always been very sensitive to the US economic sanctions and their foreign policy. 

What is the mode of US-Belarus relations now? What changes can be expected? How is US diplomacy going to deal with Belarusian democratic forces and the current government? 

These questions will be discussed in a panel discussion organised by the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and the Oxford Belarus Observatory.

Please register here.