CIS

Belarus president, ‘Europe’s last dictator,’ flirts with the West

The United States’ top diplomat once called this cloistered nation the last dictatorship in Europe. Its fearsome security services are still named the KGB. But after a year of geo­political conflict with Russia, some in the West say Belarus may not be so bad after all.Recently, senior European Union leaders have paid visits to President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled his nation with an iron grip since 1994.