By David Marples

Since the mid-1990s, Belarus has frequently cited its economic successes: high growth rates (over 10 percent in the first half of 2008), impressive increases in industrial output, and an economy that has managed to thrive even while closely controlled by the state. President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has referred to this development as the "Belarusian way." So how is Belarus dealing with the world economic recession? There seem to be two types of answers: the official version and the reality of life on the street.