Belarus expanding role as a conduit for energy resources will impact Russia's ability to project power throughout the East- Central European region as well as Western Europe. However, this strategic geopolitical space is under the firm rule of Alexander Lukashenko, a leader who is widely seen as unpredictable and authoritarian, and whose appeal and influence have spread beyond Belarus borders to Russia and Ukraine. Several critical policy questions arise from these developments: How will this growing source of instability impact attempts to forge new regional security structures? What are the likely scenarios for the future of the Russian-Belarus Union? What are U.S. and European interests vis-a- vis Belarus, and what policy instruments are available to achieve them?

Leading specialists and policy-makers from 11 countries ‹ including Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Germany, and Poland -- attended the conference with the goal of shaping the agenda for academic and policy-oriented research on Belarus for the next decade. Among those attending was Daniel Speckhard, U.S. ambassador to Belarus. In his keynote address, Speckhard stressed the importance to the West of finding ways to engage Belarus in the economic, financial, and cultural life of the Western community and especially that of the European Union by means of economic cooperation, high-tech assistance, and financial investments.