Where is Belarus?: Don't be ashamed if you cannot find Belarus on a map. For 70 years it was part of the Soviet Union and, although it achieved independence in 1991, the CIA World Fact Book says the country has "...retained closer political and economic ties to Russia than any of the other former Soviet republics."
Belarus is located between Russia, Poland and Ukraine.
The Situation: President Aleksandr Lukashenko has ruled the nation for more than ten years and shows no signs of loosening his grip on power. The people powered, democratic revolution in Ukraine has apparently made Lukashenko a litte nervous. But rather than moderate his rule in order to calm people down, he has tightened the screws. In late 2004, he sent his biggest potential rival to jail and later decreed that 75% of all music played on local radio stations should Belarussian.
Outpost of Tyranny: When Condoleezza Rice appeared at her Senate confirmation hearings to become Secretary of State she said, "To be sure, in our world there remain outposts of tyranny -- and America stands with oppressed people on every continent -- in Cuba, and Burma, and North Korea, and Iran, and Belarus, and Zimbabwe."
US-Belarusian Relations: For many of the "Outposts of Tyranny," the main concerns are about weapons of mass destruction and support for terrorist organizations. But with Belarus, the U.S. seems primarily concerned about the authoritarian rule and lack of human rights. Although relations with Belarus are frosty, it remains one of only two "Outposts of Tyranny" (along with Zimbabwe) to still maintain official diplomatic relations with the United States
