Belarus, And The Poor, (Still) On My Mind ...

"Too often in the Middle East, politics has consisted of one leader in power and the opposition in jail,” Mr. Bush said in an address to the World Economic Forum here in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, on May 19, 2008.

Sounds like Belarus, Future European Union, as well...

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"Energy prices have risen more than 30 percent in what the World Bank calls "low-income" CIS countries, which include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Food prices have risen the most -- 20 percent -- in the category of "middle-income" CIS countries, which include Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine. But all countries in the region have seen food costs increase.

This has put enormous financial pressure on the poorest citizens of these countries." ...

Heather Maher "World: CIS Countries Among Hardest-Hit In Global Financial Crisis" Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty April 11, 2008

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Beyond GDP ... See why the head of UNDP, the OECD’s Secretary General and the Chief Economist of the World Bank are among those who think the time has come to get serious about 'Measuring the Progress of Societies'.

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Belarusian Composers and Classical Music. By the Virtual Guide to Belarus - a collaborative project of Belarusian scientists and professionals abroad.

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Oxford Poverty & Human Development Initiative

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"On Friday, May 16, 2008, Belarusian police quickly dispersed about 50 opposition activists who attempted to hold a rally on the capital's central square to urge the release of political prisoners."

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Belarus and Baltic Sea Region — common interests and challenges

By Aliaksandr Milinkevich
















[Click on map for enlargement.]

Belarus map credit: U.S. Agency for International Development, Kyiv, Ukraine, Future European Union.