Political scientist Valery Karbalevich presents Lukashenka's political port

A book "Aliaksandr Lukashenka. Political Portrait" written by the political scientist Valery Karbalevich has been presented today in Minsk.

The author gives a detailed description of the Belarusian leader's biography and his way to power, at 730 pages... He also tries to answer the following questions: what is Lukashenka's phenomenon and how he manages to stay in power for 16 years? 

"This book is not only about the past - it's about the future as well”, — sadly noted Valery Karbalevich. — It looks like the political biography of our character is not finished yet. There are serious grounds to think it will be continued. That is why I'm saying the book is not just about the past, but about the future as well. It's an attempt of extrapolation of some tendencies which we see today, to the future”.

Let us remind you, two more books about the current leader of the country were published before, namely, "Lukashenka. Political Biography." by Aliaksandr Fiaduta and "Accidental President" by Pavel Sharamet and Sviatlana Kalinkina.

Valery Karbalevich: “I think it's too little. Dozens of books could have been written about a politician who stayed at power for such a long time. There is a necessity to study Lukashenka's phenomenon”.

BelaPAN's observer Aliaksandr Klaskouski called the book "hard and severe":

“I think this book is important for hard self-critical self-awareness, otherwise everything will happen like in Shvartz's fairy-tale "To Kill a Dragon". I mean, we need to read, to study in order these dictatorship dragons would never be reborn with another face”.

According to the director of Minsk Bureau of Radio Liberty in Belarus Valiantsin Zhdanko, the book will help the next generation to answer the questions: why were you like that? why Belarusians let this happen? why did we live like that in those times?

Valiantsin Zhdanko: “The book contains answers to these questions. If you read it, it becomes clear why this was possible and why we lived exactly this way. The authors who will dare to write about Lukashenka and this historical period will face a lot of difficulties - it will be hard to write about this after Valery Karbalevich. These 730 pages contain a lot of research work . It is in fact impossible to write a new book about Lukashenka and not to repeat things which have already been written”.

The presidential contender and the poet Uladzimir Nyaklyaeu held a speech at the presentation, as well as the philosopher Valiantsin Akudovich.



According to the philosopher, this book is not only about Lukashenka:

“It seems to me Karbalevich has written a story about me. Yes, I've had exactly the same emotions as described there, I felt the same about each Lukashenka's step - his coming to power, all his twists and turns... Karbalevich has reminded me about all that. This book is about my political 16 years of age”.

Aliaksandr Kazulin has been the last to speak at the presentation.



Photo : www.svaboda.org