Belaru­sian Pres­i­dent Alexan­der Lukashenko has been an extra­or­di­nary out­lier in the mon­u­men­tal change that has swept through the for­mer Sovi­et Union — for 26 years, he’s remained the pre-emi­nent fig­ure in his impov­er­ished coun­try. Mean­while, aging cen­tral Asian dic­ta­tors have died or stepped aside, Russ­ian Pres­i­dent Vladimir Putin has weath­ered oli­garchs, dis­si­dents and sanc­tions, and neigh­bor­ing Ukraine has seen two rev­o­lu­tions and a civ­il war.