Professional Affiliation

Ph.D. candidate, Political Science Department, Southern Illinois University

Wilson Center Project

The Domestic politics of International Integration: Russia and Belarus

Project Summary

Why does Belarus want to surrender its sovereignty and merge with Russia, defying one of the main postulates of international relations theory? Why does Russia, long perceived as an inveterate imperial power, refuse to take back a handsome portion of its former empire--a portion that offers a bridge to Europe and an advantageous geostrategic position? The way domestic politics shape the international integrative behavior of Russia and Belarus.