Hur hållbar och stabil är egentligen den belarusiska ekonomin? Frivärlds senior fellow Anders Åslund skriver för Atlantic Councils räkning om hur Lukasjenka-regimen hanterar landets ekonomiska tillstånd, inte minst i kölvattnet av västerländska sanktioner.
Alyaksandr Lukashenka rose to power as manager of a state farm. To a significant degree, this is what he remains, even if he appears to have amassed a significant personal fortune in Dubai. His economic policy is simple. Big manufacturing companies are owned by the state and controlled by Lukashenka. If they make losses, these will be covered by the state banks that account for three-quarters of all bank loans in the country.