The stronger the civil society, the better founded the rule of law. However, in order for a strong civil society to bloom, the state must observe the right of free association.
In post-socialist states the civil society was developing under peculiar conditions, as the societies of those states were subject to totalitarian control by the communist regime.
The case of Belarus is unique, even when compared to the neighboring countries. Its specific character is proved by the low level of national identity caused by severely underdeveloped nation-shaping processes. The authoritarian state remains, until this day, the main architect of the Belarusian national project.
The alternative projects, such as those based on liberal-democratic or language-ethnical approaches, have been marginalized by the concept of constructing a nation based on strong state authority. The very existence of those various competitive concepts of the nation is an additional factor contributing to the complex character of relations between the authorities and civil society.
The complete text can be downloaded here in English and in Belarusian.
Yuri Chavusau – Belarusian political expert and lawyer of the Association of Democratic NGOs in Belarus. He specializes in non-commercial law and in freedom of association. He is author of about 200 academic and journalistic articles on socio-political transformation and the political process in Belarus. He is also the author and editor of 11 books on this topic, including the last one: “The establishment of non-profit organizations in Belarus: Legal Aspects” (Minsk, Center of Legal Information, 2009 ).