Russia basically annexes Belarus

[Aureumterra]

Did you read the OP?

You mean the one where Belarus willingly joins Russia? Yes.

The president’s entire platform was balancing Russia and the West, he suddenly out of nowhere changed his mind after talks with Putin, something doesn’t add up

[Bear Stearns]

You mean the one where Belarus willingly joins Russia? Yes.

The president’s entire platform was balancing Russia and the West, he suddenly out of nowhere changed his mind after talks with Putin, something doesn’t add up

Don't worry about it.

[Islas Silenciosas]

Putin can't run for President again. The Russian Constitution limits him to 2 terms and he's said himself he isn't running in 2022.

[Durius]

Yet culturally, linguistically, and religiously the country is closer to Russia than Poland or Lithuania.

I'm not denying it, but that doesn't erase Belarusian identity from the textbooks, even if in real life they've already mostly succeed at that.

[Bear Stearns]

Yet culturally, linguistically, and religiously the country is closer to Russia than Poland or Lithuania.

I'm not denying it, but that doesn't erase Belarusian identity from the textbooks, even if in real life they've already mostly succeed at that.

I don't think your average American could tell you what a Belarusian is.

[Durius]

I'm not denying it, but that doesn't erase Belarusian identity from the textbooks, even if in real life they've already mostly succeed at that.

I don't think your average American could tell you what a Belarusian is.

That's more of a statement about the level of education of the average American, though.

[Kynor]

I'm not denying it, but that doesn't erase Belarusian identity from the textbooks, even if in real life they've already mostly succeed at that.

I don't think your average American could tell you what a Belarusian is.

How does America have any thing to do with this

[Outer Sparta]

USSR rises again?

[Diarcesia]

https://www.uawire.org/russia-and-belarus-to-create-joint-parliament-and-government#

Belarusian Ambassador to Russia Vladimir Semashko said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko agreed to create a joint Parliament and government as part of the Union State.

"The presidents agreed that the stated goals are ambitious, and they should not change. These goals include the transition to unified tax legislation, the creation of common markets for oil, gas, and electricity, the creation of a single Parliament and government with executive authority when independent Russia and Belarus give up certain governing functions. This task is now being solved," said Semashko, as cited by Reformation news outlet.

According to Semashko, now the roadmaps for integration into the Union state are being developed. 20 of the 31 road maps have already been agreed upon. Other roadmaps should be ready within one week.

The Union State is a supranational union of Russia and Belarus with the organization of a single political, economic, military, customs, currency, legal, humanitarian, and cultural space.

Basically the presidents of both countries agreed to finally form the “union state” which has technically been in effect for 20 years, but this is the first time both countries jointly agreed to form the united parliament. This is suspicious since Belarusian president Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s entire geopolitical game was balancing the West with Russia, but after recent talks with Putin, he suddenly changed his mind and agreed to go ahead with the union state. So NSG, what do you think is Putin’s endgame?

Roleplay the early 17^th century and set up the situation for Poland to come marching through and taking Białorus and then entering the gates of Moscow.

On a serious note: if the Belarusians are fine with it, then I'm fine with it.

[Trollzyn the Infinite]

Explain to me how Soviet policy is relevant when the Soviet Union no longer exists.

Because Russia absorbed the former Soviet defense system, including its generals, doctrine, and culture? Also there is little reason to assume that Russia's strategies for a nuclear war would be any different than they were in the 1980s, unless new information has come out, which I haven't seen.

I don't think you realize that wars can be won without invading countries, either.

Okay...so that would basically be a repeat of the Cold War then. We never actually engage the Russians but we fight them in proxy wars in third world countries and also counter them economically at every turn. Idk about you but I'd like that era to come to an end.

Russia is not the Soviet Union, no matter what anyone says. It's not a perfect or even particularly great country but the Russian Federation is nowhere near the same level of psychotic evil and repression that the Soviet Union was. Unless you can prove the Russians are maintaining this same strategy there is no reason to believe they are as these are two different countries we're talking about with a twenty-eight year gap between them. Never mind the fact the Cold War was the biggest saber-rattling fest of all time and much of what was done or said during that time was little more than grand-standing bluffs which we dared the enemy to call. Sometimes they did, sometimes they didn't. It is true that on several occasions the world almost came to the brink of nuclear war, but most of those times were due to equipment malfunctions and were only avoided because logic and reason prevailed over bloodthirsty zeal and blind hatred.

I, too, would like the end of Cold War-style warfare to end. But not in atomic fire.

Fortunately that wasn't at all what I was talking about. The U.S. isn't going to begin a nuclear exchange because the Russians invaded the Baltics. They'd have to get pretty damn far into NATO territory before the option was even considered. Likewise the Russians aren't going to consider the option unless we're literally invading their country, was is unnecessary if they started invading NATO countries. Any hypothetical war with Russia could won simply by disabling their ability to wage conventional warfare and proposing a truce or, alternatively, crippling their economy/society to the point of internal revolution. None of which requires direct military invasion. This isn't 1943; warfare has changed drastically.

But even then, the threat of impending Russian invasion is astronomically low. Anyone in the Russian government mad or stupid enough to make such a decision or believe it is viable either doesn't have the authority or isn't taken seriously and for good reason. Putin is definitely not so stupid as to make such a gamble unless he was truly desperate, which he isn't.

You mean the one where Belarus willingly joins Russia? Yes.

The president’s entire platform was balancing Russia and the West, he suddenly out of nowhere changed his mind after talks with Putin, something doesn’t add up

Except that's bullshit and isn't true at all. Lukashenko has always been buddy-buddy with Russia. This move is neither new nor surprising. The only surprising factor here is that it didn't happen sooner.

[Trollzyn the Infinite]

USSR rises again?

Nah, just typical fearmongering by people who think Putin is Stalin incarnate.

[Senkaku]

Edit: why are bigger news sites not picking up on this? Are we sure this is legit? I feel like it should be earth-shaking news if they're actually moving forward on this

https://www.uawire.org/russia-and-belarus-to-create-joint-parliament-and-government#

Belarusian Ambassador to Russia Vladimir Semashko said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko agreed to create a joint Parliament and government as part of the Union State.

"The presidents agreed that the stated goals are ambitious, and they should not change. These goals include the transition to unified tax legislation, the creation of common markets for oil, gas, and electricity, the creation of a single Parliament and government with executive authority when independent Russia and Belarus give up certain governing functions. This task is now being solved," said Semashko, as cited by Reformation news outlet.

According to Semashko, now the roadmaps for integration into the Union state are being developed. 20 of the 31 road maps have already been agreed upon. Other roadmaps should be ready within one week.

The Union State is a supranational union of Russia and Belarus with the organization of a single political, economic, military, customs, currency, legal, humanitarian, and cultural space.

Basically the presidents of both countries agreed to finally form the “union state” which has technically been in effect for 20 years, but this is the first time both countries jointly agreed to form the united parliament. This is suspicious since Belarusian president Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s entire geopolitical game was balancing the West with Russia, but after recent talks with Putin, he suddenly changed his mind and agreed to go ahead with the union state. So NSG, what do you think is Putin’s endgame?

I think this is Putin’s next card up his sleeve to create a wannabe USSR. Putin surged in domestic popularity after the annexation of Crimea, but his popularity has been declining ever since. He’s expected to surge in popularity again and likely win the next presidential elections fair and square with this move, so this is also a move to stay in power for him IMO.

Holy shit- how did he get Lukashenko on board?!

And it's not the USSR reborn or anything, it's just a vehicle for him to get a longer term in office... damn. The madman actually pulled it off. I'm very impressed.

[Bananaistan]

It may not be a dictatorship, but it's not a democratically set up thing either. It's not democratic for a country to have its laws voted on by foreign politicians or to have its national government overruled by what essentially amounts to a Soviet style Politburo (aka "Commission").

The commission can only propose legislation. To be enacted it must be passed by both the Council (IE each member state’s government) and the Parliament (IE the directly democratically elected representatives). Your point would be akin to saying any US state having to follow federal law is undemocratic because politicians from the other states also voted on such laws.

[Kynor]

Are we all gonna brush over the fact that this all has been in effect for 20 years so it was bound to happen

[Trollzyn the Infinite]

Are we all gonna brush over the fact that this all has been in effect for 20 years so it was bound to happen

But- but- Russian Imperialism!

/s

[Bear Stearns]

It's not democratic for a country to have its laws voted on by foreign politicians

The US Congress has dual citizens in it.

[Senkaku]

Are we all gonna brush over the fact that this all has been in effect for 20 years so it was bound to happen

Neither of those things are true, they basically gave up on it after trying to implement it years ago when they slapped customs controls back on and such. This certainly wasn't "bound" to happen- just because it's nominally existed as a concept on paper doesn't mean it was inevitable.

[Aureumterra]

Edit: why are bigger news sites not picking up on this? Are we sure this is legit? I feel like it should be earth-shaking news if they're actually moving forward on this

It was Earth shaking news back when it was first agreed on 20 years ago, but nobody really moved forward with it until now

[Celritannia]

I mean, I assume this will eventually happen to the entire Commonwealth of Independent States.

[Aureumterra]

I mean, I assume this will eventually happen to the entire Commonwealth of Independent States.

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, and Turkmenistan will join the Union State? The only way to make these guys join is through forceful invasion

[Lanorth]

I could see this coming, in-fact, just yesterday I was talking about this with my Polish friend and said if Russia annex Belarus before 2020, I will get a tenner. Bloody hell, knowing Putin and Lukashenkya, they likely have plans, considering Belarus kept the KGB and Russia did not.

[Celritannia]

I mean, I assume this will eventually happen to the entire Commonwealth of Independent States.

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, and Turkmenistan will join the Union State? The only way to make these guys join is through forceful invasion

They are already members of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
So becoming members of the Union of States would not be too far fetched tbf.

Correction, Ukraine is not a member of the CIS, but the others are.

[Rojava Free State]

I could see this coming, in-fact, just yesterday I was talking about this with my Polish friend and said if Russia annex Belarus before 2020, I will get a tenner. Bloody hell, knowing Putin and Lukashenkya, they likely have plans, considering Belarus kept the KGB and Russia did not.

Stevie wonder saw this coming. Helen Keller heard it was gonna happen eventually

[A m e n r i a]

*USSR anthem plays in the background*

[Loben The 2nd]

they can have it. since it harms no one.