Belarus and Ukrainian Energy Policy Options in 1990-95
Research question/goal:
Both Belarus and the Ukraine obtained their independence in 1991, and this date provides a before-and-after benchmark date for comparing their political decision-making criteria and public discourses. Both states also had to respond to Chernobyl, which they did with policy programs in 1990 and 1995, thereby providing excellent material for comparing domestic with international depictions of the Chernobyl issue(s) on the part of the two governments, as well as the political instrumentalization of the topic. It also permits one to track changing foreign policy expectations and discussions of nuclear power in both states. Overall, one can note an increasing importance (since 1992) of calls to economize and a dwindling, as well as more regulated, public discourse on the subject, particularly in Belarus.