"Balmaceda challenges the common assumption that these are mere subsidies from Russia that help maintain Lukashenka's political model, and suggests instead that the picture is much more complex. Balmaceda's point of departure is the observation that Lukashenka has managed to maintain his hold on power despite changing political conditions and, at times, a complicated relationship with Russia, which even featured a suspension of gas supplies in 2014 for the first time in Russian gas industry history. The main argument of the book is that it is not the Russian energy rents per se, but rather the way these rents have been extracted, managed, and redistributed among external and domestic players that can help explain Lukashenka's political longevity."
Reviewed book:
