Trade Restrictions Lead to Belarus Protests

Protests have broken out in Belarus after the government made it illegal to export cheese, butter, macaroni and several other food products. The authoritarian regime has also prevented the export of refrigerators, kitchen stoves and gasoline.

Coverage of last month’s Group of Eight summit in Deauville, France, centered on the leadership crisis at the International Monetary Fund and measures to support new regimes in the Arab world. However, the summit’s most significant achievement may be the dramatic change in Russia’s stance on the conflict in Libya. After months of Russian ambivalence toward the military intervention against Col. Moammar Gadhafi, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev not only joined the other G-8 leaders in a statement declaring that Gadhafi has lost all legitimacy and must step down, but also announced that Russia would help mediate an exit for the […]