International conference “Belarus and Belarusians in the time of geopolitical insecurities: global perceptions and domestic realities”
The 2020 protests marked a defining moment in Belarusian history. However, in the years that followed, the Lukashenka regime intensified its authoritarian grip and aligned itself more closely with Russia’s war in Ukraine. This conference will critically assess the consequences of these developments, the transformation of the Belarusian state and society under deepening repression and co-option, and the changing geopolitical situation. The event will also address such topics as diaspora, exiled political leadership, and civil society.
Bringing together scholars, policymakers, and experts, this conference will explore the geopolitical struggle over Belarus, analysing Russia’s strategic influence and the EU’s policy responses in the situation of shifts in the US foreign policy. As Belarus remains at the intersection of regional instability and great-power politics, this conference aims to provide an in-depth analysis of its developments. Reflecting on five years after the mass protest in authoritarian Belarus and three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, what lessons have been learned?
These and other questions will be considered in a two-day international conference.
The keynote speeches will be delivered by prof. Antoaneta L. Dimitrova (Leiden University, the Netherlands) and prof. David R. Marples (University of Alberta, Canada). The conference will consist of 10 panels, featuring paper presentations of the latest research on Belarus, belarusians, and their role in changing geopolitical context.
The first day of the conference will be opened by a roundtable discussion including contributions from policymakers and academia “Beyond uncertainty: Belarus and Europe’s security” and will also feature Belarus Research Network for Neighborhood Policy expert discussion “Security Threats of Lukashenka’s Regime: What Can Be Done?”.
The second day of the conference will be finalised by a launch of Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Belarus.
Date: September 11-12, 2025
Venue: Institute of International Relations and Political Science of Vilnius University (Vokiečių str. 10, Vilnius). The rooms and times of the panels are specified in the conference program.
The programme of the conference is available here.
To participate in the conference, please register in advance here.
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The conference is organised in a collaboration between the Institute of International Relations and Political Science of Vilnius University, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, and with the support of the Latvian Institute of International Affairs.
