Identifikace běloruského národa v kontextu civilizačního pohraničí
Liudmila Volakhava
The article is focused on Belarusians' identification in the context of civilizational borderland that appears to have a considerable impact on the nation's complex identification and remains utterly relevant in contemporary Belarus under its strongman A. Lukashenko. Significantly, the state's current president and, most importantly, his political course can be regarded as the nation’s key identity-provider in the geopolitical and civilizational dimension. Lukashenko’s pendulum-like foreign policy highlights the national identity reference points and regulates its either pro-Russian or pro-Western leaning. In the aftermath of regime’s relentless maneuvering between Moscow and Brussels, Belarusians' pro-Russia and pro-West orientations reached parity by the end of 2010. It means that the country’s identification trajectory is amenable to modifications in accordance with the ruling elite’s foreign policy imperatives and the current political conjuncture. Notwithstanding the fact that the elements of European identity are present in the Belarusian identity code, notably as the symbol of higher living standards, its role is far from relevant. Instead, strong bonds with the Eastern Orthodox civilization—nurtured within the Pan-Slavic “Russian World” paradigm—will probably prevail as the dominant vector for the nation’s identification in the long run.
