The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 ushered in a period of democratization and market reform extending across the East-Central European region, with one important exception: Belarus. Ironically, Belarus's fledgling attempts at democracy produced a leader who has suspended the post-Soviet constitution and its institutions and created a personal dictatorship. Located in the centre of the European continent, Belarus lies at the crossroads of an expanded NATO and the Russian near-abroad. This fact underlies the importance of Belarus to European security and to East-West relations.