"The work provides a history of the Russian-Belarussian relationship since czarist times, considers the two phases of the post-Soviet period, and concludes with some remarks on how Russia uses energy policies to manage relations with its neighbors. In considering how subsidies and energy policies can be used within an asymmetrical patron-client relationship, the work may offer valuable lessons for analyzing Russian-Ukrainian relations as well. Balmaceda argues that states that have abundant exportable energy resources are able to rule without popular, democratic participation and in this way hints at parallels with other authoritarian nations with abundant natural resources, though she does not make explicit comparisons. Summing up: Recommended."
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