Brian Bennett was born in Portsmouth in 1948. He joined the Diplomatic Service with a degree in Russian from Sheffield University and has served in Western and Eastern Europe, the Caribbean and North Africa. His last posting was as Ambassador in Minsk 2003-2007. He is married with three children.

'The author had the critical advantage of first-hand experience of Belarussian political transformations by living for several years in Minsk, the capital city of Belarus, from 2003 to 2007. His book is a clear and well-documented history of social, cultural, economic, and political change during the autocratic rule of Alexander Lukashenko, a welcome addition for scholars and students of the history and politics of post-Soviet Belarus. ... Lukashenko's fabricated victory in December 2010 will ensure a sustained interest in this book in the coming years.'

Brian Bennett was born in Portsmouth in 1948. He joined the Diplomatic Service with a degree in Russian from Sheffield University and has served in Western and Eastern Europe, the Caribbean and North Africa. His last posting was as Ambassador in Minsk 2003-2007. He is married with three children.

'The author had the critical advantage of first-hand experience of Belarussian political transformations by living for several years in Minsk, the capital city of Belarus, from 2003 to 2007. His book is a clear and well-documented history of social, cultural, economic, and political change during the autocratic rule of Alexander Lukashenko, a welcome addition for scholars and students of the history and politics of post-Soviet Belarus. ... Lukashenko's fabricated victory in December 2010 will ensure a sustained interest in this book in the coming years.'

Brian Bennett was born in Portsmouth in 1948. He joined the Diplomatic Service with a degree in Russian from Sheffield University and has served in Western and Eastern Europe, the Caribbean and North Africa. His last posting was as Ambassador in Minsk 2003-2007. He is married with three children.

'The author had the critical advantage of first-hand experience of Belarussian political transformations by living for several years in Minsk, the capital city of Belarus, from 2003 to 2007. His book is a clear and well-documented history of social, cultural, economic, and political change during the autocratic rule of Alexander Lukashenko, a welcome addition for scholars and students of the history and politics of post-Soviet Belarus. ... Lukashenko's fabricated victory in December 2010 will ensure a sustained interest in this book in the coming years.'