The last European dictator, the president of Belarus Lukashenko proved to be right after more than a decade of power; he proved that the wave of change in Eastern Europe after 1989 wasn't a one way road; as far as the former communist elite is ready to stand united against its own people and the international public opinion, nothing is inevitable, even in Europe. With Russia already firmly against the West, and Belarus still playing an important economic role between Moscow and its oil and gas consumers in Europe, it's time now for Lukashenko to capitalize on the Russia's friendship; and to show to 'his' people that letting him rule without any opposition wasn't perhaps the worst thing to happen in Belarus in its most recent history.

Having a dictatorship in any country is always a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the lack of responsibility and accountability is assured; on the other hand, in some middle- and low-income countries, desperately in need of political push for development, the dictatorship can be initially really useful for modernization; some European countries weren't models for democracy at the beginning of their age of modernity, think about Germany, France, and Sweden; some success stories in Asia were also far from democracy or from any governmental responsibility barely 30 years ago, think about South Korea. This doesn't say, of course, that dictatorship is always good for business; on the contrary, perhaps if we take all countries doing well economically, most of them did it because their governments were responsible and accountable.

In Belarus, the situation wasn't desperate immediately after the fall of the Soviet Union; for 3 years the country was in a typical situation of most post-communist states; neither consolidated democracy, nor a present danger of dictatorship. The role of Lukashenko in changing this situation is well known; what's less known is that none of his opponents between 1994 and 1996 was a value face democrat; the dictatorship wasn't predetermined, but there would have been a situation when only the name of the dictator could have been different. Lukashenko's dictatorship was however different in one particular way; unlike many 'comrades' in Central Asia, he didn't betray his communist-era ideals; he wanted to get the Soviet Union back on the stage, and this explains his friendship with Russia, a friendship based on emotional as well as on economic principles.

These are the days when Lukashenko can exchange his soviet ideals for hard currency, thanks to the expensive oil and the ocean of dollars that Moscow is desperately looking where to invest in preferably friendly destinations. One of the most ambitious projects in Belarus is 'Minsk-City', a $30 billion residential, office and recreation neighborhood near the capital city; the developer would be the natural gas and oil company Itera; the construction works could begin as early as 2009.

Belarus country profile:

• Area: 207,600 sq km
• Population: 9.7 million (July 2007 est.)
• Life expectancy at birth: 70.05 years
• Ethnic groups: Belarusian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%, Polish, Ukrainian, and other 7.4%.
• GDP per capita: purchasing power parity $10,200 (2007 est.).
• Population below poverty line: 27% (2003 est.)
• Unemployment rate: 2% officially registered unemployed (2005).
• Main trading partners: Russia, some EU countries, and Ukraine.
• Internet users: 5.5 million (2007).

(Sources: CIA World Factbook 2008, Reuters)

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See also the directory of companies providing real estate services in, and general real estate information of Belarus.