MINSK, 11 December (BelTA) – The recent analytical materials on Belarus have been mainly pessimistic, Oleg Makarov, director of the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Research (BISR), said as he addressed the meeting of the Expert Community project in BelTA's press center on 11 December.
As an example, Oleg Makarov cited the analytical materials related to the integration talks in the Union State. “I have not seen any positive narratives recently," he said. “Everything concerning Belarus, be it the integration or some economic opportunities, has been negative recently. What we have seen are the scenarios of some apocalypse,” he said.
Oleg Makarov believes this is the problem. “Analytics are meant to help people make decisions. Traditionally we, unfortunately, do not work with windows of opportunities, only with threats. We are always focused on negative scenarios: whether find common ground with Russia or not, whether Belarus pivots to the West or to the East or whether it stays where it is. Every possible development is described in the negative light,” said Oleg Makarov. He stressed that such a depressive, gray analytical agenda creates information dead-ends for any decisions and hinders the movement forward.
