In this project we will examine the strategies deployed by Alexander Lukashenko in the face of sustained protest. In particular, we will analyse the tools employed by the ‘contested leader’ to sustain the status quo rule and will ask what the implications of the leadership’s strategy are both domestically and for the wider region. Compared to previous research that has focused largely on protesters’ means of contestation, this work will provide a different perspective on the struggle between the protesters and the leadership.
