Countering Lukashenka’s authoritarian regime: the strategies of the Belarusian diaspora
Date
2023
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Tartu Ülikool
Abstract
This Master’s thesis intends to research the ways in which the Belarusian diaspora is
countering Lukashenka’s authoritarian regime. After the fraudulent presidential elections and
protests in 2020, the majority of the country’s civil society has fled the country and the events
of 2020 led to a new wave of politicised diaspora. To study the case, this research uses
qualitative methods and process tracing. The sample consists of nine interviews: seven
interviews with members of the Belarusian diaspora, one interview with a foreign affairs
expert/diplomat and one interview with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. The analysis is based on
five main themes that emerged from the theoretical framework and literature review. The
results of this study show that the diaspora is using three main strategies in countering the
authoritarian regime: a) raising awareness and bringing attention to the cause; b)
policy-making and lobbying; and c) supporting the Belarusians and political prisoners.
Furthermore, the role of utilising the ICTs is crucial in supporting the activities of the
diaspora and they are used as a ‘liberation tool’. The main functions of the ICTs are a)
communication tool amongst the diaspora and people living in Belarus; b) source of news and
media awareness; and c) mobilisation tool. As a practical outcome, I have developed policy
recommendations for Estonia and the EU based on the empirical findings of the thesis.