In Western Europe civil society groups shape the relations between the state and the society. Strong non-governmental organizations may exert impact on the state’s policy. By harnessing the work of volunteers and promoting social activity, they solve social problems without the state’s participation, express the interests of various groups in a pluralistic spirit, while respecting the rights of minorities and protect the public interest wherever state authority might prove ineffective, or where abuse of authority is likely to take place.
The stronger the civil society, the better founded the rule of law. However, in order for a strong civil society to bloom, the state must observe the right of free association.
In post-socialist states the civil society was developing under peculiar conditions, as the societies of those states were subject to totalitarian control by the communist regime.
The case of Belarus is unique, even when compared to the neighboring countries. Its specific character is proved by the low level of national identity caused by severely underdeveloped nation-shaping processes. The authoritarian state remains, until this day, the main architect of the Belarusian national project.
The alternative projects, such as those based on liberal-democratic or language-ethnical approaches, have been marginalized by the concept of constructing a nation based on strong state authority. The very existence of those various competitive concepts of the nation is an additional factor contributing to the complex character of relations between the authorities and civil society.
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