For the Center for Belarusian Studies, 2014 began with the success of several events  (see posting from Feb 2). The focus of these events centered on the formal presentation by retired ambassador David Swartz as the keynote speaker for the Michaelson, Briner, & Kildahl Symposium held at Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa.

His presentation, Diplomacy: Values, Assumptions, and Sensitivities was followed by a round table event  with Stanislau Shushkevich (first head of state of Belarus), Ivonka Survilla (Head of the RADA of the Belarusian Democratic Republic in Exile, and Ambassador Swartz. The panel, Disengaging East-Central Europe from the East: European Security and North American Interests – the Belarus Model, considered many of the energies and scenarios that ironically have begun to emerge as a result of Russian military action and expansionism policies.

As the CBS/Wartburg events emphasize, the reality of the tensions for Ukraine and for Belarus were and continue to be identified and considered by academic and opposition forces. It is then partly at this level that policy makers should gauge the climate for tension and for political change in Belarus and elsewhere.

Vital Voranau (CBS Visiting Scholar acting as interpreter), President Stanislau Shushkevich, President  Ivonka Survilla, Ambassador David Swartz Read more »