Possible Revolution in Belarus after Rigged election

[Punished UMN]

No, because as explained thinking a past period was the best =/= wanting it back.

I will have to find the source again. But I remember seeing a poll where Americans said the best period was the 1950s.
That does not mean we want to go back to it.

That is quite idiotic to say: "We rocked, so we shouldn't go back to rocking!" That's not how reality works. Most Russians don't want Communism back, because of the transition difficulty. What we have works, let's not change it, rather than "we don't want to be great if we could be great!"

Again when asked if they want to go back to it, they say no. That is not cherry picking because that is literally the direct question!
People can answer differently because just because the idolize the past does not mean they want to return to it.

That is the nature of nostalgia.

No, that's the nature of cherry picking. You might want to be a great runner, but you don't want to give up tasty food and wake up at 5 am to run; that doesn't mean that you don't want to go back to being a great runner, it just means that you're not ready to make the transition, yet. You have to consider the transition when asking someone to go from A to B.

Also you can only want selective good parts of that past era back while leaving the ugly parts behind. You can only build the future, not return to the past, which you would not even want to do.

The majority saying they want to continue with Putinism over the Soviet model would mean the majority still want Putinism over the Soviet model... obviously.

Or it could mean that the majority wants the Soviet model, but doesn't want to work for it through the transition period, and are also happy with Putinism. No wonder you ignore my posts and call them "wanking" - because I make these points that you don't seem to grasp.

Now on Belarus I do not have a poll, but I would imagine they do not want to magically role the clock back to 1975, even if they could, which of course they cannot. Even if a majority might say 1975 was better than now.

Or they could want to roll back the clock to 1975, just with a different leader. The longer the leader stays in power, the more he or she is usually disliked, and Lukashenko held power for a while. FDR was a better president than Teddy of JFK, and yet he was in power for a long time, (by US standards,) so who're Americans more nostalgic about? Teddy & JFK.

Exactly, this is precisely what I was getting at.

Russians don't want to go back to the USSR because another 30 year economic transition isn't viable.

[Phoenicaea]

after last opposer got assassinated, i literally see no way to dodge such age of corruption, of infringement of human rights and dignity.

because it’s a teaching of modern age, that where corruption gets impudent and so becomes a pride, you will obtain heartbreak of men.

a thing to be discussed in a forum of capable people, not with retarded talkers of all and nothing.

[Arvenia]

after last opposer got assassinated, i literally see no way to dodge such age of corruption, of infringement of human rights and dignity.

because it’s a teaching of modern age, that where corruption gets impudent and so becomes a pride, you will obtain heartbreak of men.

a thing to be discussed in a forum of capable people, not with retarded talkers of all and nothing.

That last line was a bit harsh, wasn’t it?

Hopefully, Belarus would one day become a liberal democracy.

[Novus America]

That is quite idiotic to say: "We rocked, so we shouldn't go back to rocking!" That's not how reality works. Most Russians don't want Communism back, because of the transition difficulty. What we have works, let's not change it, rather than "we don't want to be great if we could be great!"




No, that's the nature of cherry picking. You might want to be a great runner, but you don't want to give up tasty food and wake up at 5 am to run; that doesn't mean that you don't want to go back to being a great runner, it just means that you're not ready to make the transition, yet. You have to consider the transition when asking someone to go from A to B.





Or it could mean that the majority wants the Soviet model, but doesn't want to work for it through the transition period, and are also happy with Putinism. No wonder you ignore my posts and call them "wanking" - because I make these points that you don't seem to grasp.




Or they could want to roll back the clock to 1975, just with a different leader. The longer the leader stays in power, the more he or she is usually disliked, and Lukashenko held power for a while. FDR was a better president than Teddy of JFK, and yet he was in power for a long time, (by US standards,) so who're Americans more nostalgic about? Teddy & JFK.

Exactly, this is precisely what I was getting at.

Russians don't want to go back to the USSR because another 30 year economic transition isn't viable.

I doubt that is the only reason. I guarantee that even if they liked some things better about the USSR, namely the social support system, they did not like EVERYTHING a little it and would not want an exact return. If you look at the reasons why they cite they miss it, nobody mentions the complete lack of environmental protections and industrial safety, locking people in mental institutions for political purposes, etc.

[Shofercia]

Even more bad news for protesters, WAPO's own polling data shows that Lukashenko has a third of Belarussians supporting him, and that the top three concerns were economic: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics ... -protests/

A slight majority of respondents (51.8 percent) felt that things in Belarus were moving in the wrong direction. (17.5 percent said “don’t know.”) We asked respondents to tell us the three biggest problems facing the country. All were economic. More than 60 percent of respondents mentioned rising prices and inflation as their top concerns, followed by low wages and unemployment.

Asking respondents directly what they thought about Lukashenko was not possible in the survey. Given the sensitivity of the question and the likely unreliability of the results due to possible fears on the part of respondents, we used a list experiment as a way to indirectly but more accurately measure his popularity. Our results revealed that only one-third of respondents approved of Belarus’s president.

Also, just for Lumen:

...our survey asked Belarusians whether they agreed with the statement that Ukraine’s Euromaidan revolution was a positive development for Ukraine. Nearly two-thirds of Belarusians disagreed.

Additionally, if Lukashenko ran against Tikhanovskaya, he might've beaten her, fair and square. Sandu lost in Moldavia, and that a country that's more pro-Western than Belarus. Hence my point about the two tier election:

It is kind of funny how this whole thing could have been avoided with a narrower election win. A nice 57% maybe even low 60s, enough to say you won but acknowledging that there's some issues.

Or just do it in two rounds. The opposition was far from united, so let one of the opposition leaders have a shot in the second round, and defeat him/her. Piece of cake.

A third would've been pro-Lukashenko, another third pro-Tikhanovskaya, and the majority of the final third would focus on economic stability and stick with the leader they know. Tikhanovskaya's trip to Lithuania effectively ended the protests, and Lukashenko's mismanagement started the protests. What we have here is both leaders effectively scoring own goals. If this weekend doesn't see massive protests, it's all over.

[Shofercia]

Exactly, this is precisely what I was getting at.

Russians don't want to go back to the USSR because another 30 year economic transition isn't viable.

I doubt that is the only reason. I guarantee that even if they liked some things better about the USSR, namely the social support system, they did not like EVERYTHING a little it and would not want an exact return. If you look at the reasons why they cite they miss it, nobody mentions the complete lack of environmental protections and industrial safety, locking people in mental institutions for political purposes, etc.

The USSR had environmental protections, much more so than Russia in the 1990s. And yeah, the people didn't like everything about it, but the period being referred to is the one between 1945 and 1982. Most of Stalin's repressions came prior to 1941, and when Stalin saw what Hitler was doing, he was like "oh fuck, I'm going down that path, I'd rather die" and relented from his own repressions.

Compared to America's current prison population, the Soviet prison population similar-ish excluding German & Japanese WWII POWs and 15 day "labor" camps. What's the difference between locking someone up for minor offenses, or locking someone up for political viewpoints? Both are unjust in the eyes of the average person, and the last time Russia/USSR had growing political freedom was the 80s... the 1880s. In 1944 roughly 9.2% of Soviet prisoners died. By 1956 said statistic was at 0.4%. Of course other WWII years had higher statistics, but that was partially due to starvation as a result of Nazi Invasion.

[The Archregimancy]

after last opposer got assassinated, i literally see no way to dodge such age of corruption, of infringement of human rights and dignity.

because it’s a teaching of modern age, that where corruption gets impudent and so becomes a pride, you will obtain heartbreak of men.

a thing to be discussed in a forum of capable people, not with retarded talkers of all and nothing.

*** Warned for trolling. ***

It's perhaps best not to engage in this type of posting so soon after returning from a 3-day ban for your posts in the very same thread.

The only reason you're not getting served with something stronger is because your English is so poor that it's unclear specifically who those 'retarded talkers' are -though it clearly seems directed towards NSG participants.

[-Astoria-]

Even more bad news for protesters, WAPO's own polling data shows that Lukashenko has a third of Belarussians supporting him, and that the top three concerns were economic: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics ... -protests/

Oh dear.

[San Lumen]

Even more bad news for protesters, WAPO's own polling data shows that Lukashenko has a third of Belarussians supporting him, and that the top three concerns were economic: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics ... -protests/

A slight majority of respondents (51.8 percent) felt that things in Belarus were moving in the wrong direction. (17.5 percent said “don’t know.”) We asked respondents to tell us the three biggest problems facing the country. All were economic. More than 60 percent of respondents mentioned rising prices and inflation as their top concerns, followed by low wages and unemployment.

Asking respondents directly what they thought about Lukashenko was not possible in the survey. Given the sensitivity of the question and the likely unreliability of the results due to possible fears on the part of respondents, we used a list experiment as a way to indirectly but more accurately measure his popularity. Our results revealed that only one-third of respondents approved of Belarus’s president.

Also, just for Lumen:

...our survey asked Belarusians whether they agreed with the statement that Ukraine’s Euromaidan revolution was a positive development for Ukraine. Nearly two-thirds of Belarusians disagreed.

Additionally, if Lukashenko ran against Tikhanovskaya, he might've beaten her, fair and square. Sandu lost in Moldavia, and that a country that's more pro-Western than Belarus. Hence my point about the two tier election:

Or just do it in two rounds. The opposition was far from united, so let one of the opposition leaders have a shot in the second round, and defeat him/her. Piece of cake.

A third would've been pro-Lukashenko, another third pro-Tikhanovskaya, and the majority of the final third would focus on economic stability and stick with the leader they know. Tikhanovskaya's trip to Lithuania effectively ended the protests, and Lukashenko's mismanagement started the protests. What we have here is both leaders effectively scoring own goals. If this weekend doesn't see massive protests, it's all over.

Your using a poll that seems very biased and all evidence points to him losing the election had it not been rigged

[Loben III]

Even more bad news for protesters, WAPO's own polling data shows that Lukashenko has a third of Belarussians supporting him, and that the top three concerns were economic: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics ... -protests/



Also, just for Lumen:



Additionally, if Lukashenko ran against Tikhanovskaya, he might've beaten her, fair and square. Sandu lost in Moldavia, and that a country that's more pro-Western than Belarus. Hence my point about the two tier election:



A third would've been pro-Lukashenko, another third pro-Tikhanovskaya, and the majority of the final third would focus on economic stability and stick with the leader they know. Tikhanovskaya's trip to Lithuania effectively ended the protests, and Lukashenko's mismanagement started the protests. What we have here is both leaders effectively scoring own goals. If this weekend doesn't see massive protests, it's all over.

Your using a poll that seems very biased and all evidence points to him losing the election had it not been rigged

Even the poll from WAPO?

[Shofercia]

Even more bad news for protesters, WAPO's own polling data shows that Lukashenko has a third of Belarussians supporting him, and that the top three concerns were economic: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics ... -protests/



Also, just for Lumen:



Additionally, if Lukashenko ran against Tikhanovskaya, he might've beaten her, fair and square. Sandu lost in Moldavia, and that a country that's more pro-Western than Belarus. Hence my point about the two tier election:



A third would've been pro-Lukashenko, another third pro-Tikhanovskaya, and the majority of the final third would focus on economic stability and stick with the leader they know. Tikhanovskaya's trip to Lithuania effectively ended the protests, and Lukashenko's mismanagement started the protests. What we have here is both leaders effectively scoring own goals. If this weekend doesn't see massive protests, it's all over.

Your using a poll that seems very biased and all evidence points to him losing the election had it not been rigged

The poll was from WaPo and I really hope that you're not taking the 3% poll seriously. Also, evidence points to Lukashenko rigging the election, which isn't the same as losing the election. If you rig the election by 25%, and you win 80% of the vote, that means you could've still won without rigging the election.

Your using a poll that seems very biased and all evidence points to him losing the election had it not been rigged

Even the poll from WAPO?

Maybe Lukashenko allowed Bezos to establish AmazonRus in Minsk

[Punished UMN]

Exactly, this is precisely what I was getting at.

Russians don't want to go back to the USSR because another 30 year economic transition isn't viable.

I doubt that is the only reason. I guarantee that even if they liked some things better about the USSR, namely the social support system, they did not like EVERYTHING a little it and would not want an exact return. If you look at the reasons why they cite they miss it, nobody mentions the complete lack of environmental protections and industrial safety, locking people in mental institutions for political purposes, etc.

You're really good at butchering other people's points to pick out the part that isn't the substance of what they are saying.

Obviously no one wants a copy & paste of the Soviet Union back and (in the US) no one wants a copy & paste of, say, the 1980's under Reagan. That doesn't mean people don't want a return of something like the Soviet system, or that there aren't people in the US who want Reaganomics implemented.

[Shofercia]

And it's now been confirmed that the protests started outside Belarus: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archi ... us/615526/

On Sunday morning, Nexta—the word means “somebody”—posted a red and white invitation to the march. “Ring the doorbells of your neighbors, call your friends and relatives, write to your colleagues,” the message instructed them: “We are going EXCLUSIVELY peacefully to the center of town to hold the authorities to account.” The invitation also contained a list of demands: the immediate freeing of political prisoners, the resignation of Lukashenko, the indictment of those responsible for a shocking series of political murders.

People went to the Minsk march, and to dozens of smaller marches across the country, because they saw that message. On subsequent days, many went on strike because they saw another message on that channel and on channels like it. Over the past 10 days, people all across Belarus have marched, protested, carried red and white flags and banners, and gathered at factories and outside prisons because they trust what they read on Nexta. They trust Nexta even though Sviatlou is only 22 years old, even though he is an amateur blogger, and even though he is outside the country.

But, but, but...

Primary opposition Telegram channel NEXTA may be losing its ability to marshal protesters. NEXTA has driven the focus of protests around the country and particularly in Minsk since August 9, including organizing the largest rally in Belarusian history on August 16. NEXTA did not issue any instructions for protests on August 20 for the first time since the August 9 elections, following a lackluster showing on August 19. NEXTA asked protesters to support strikers and gather at the Belarusian Interior Ministry in Minsk at 6:00 pm local time on August 19.

Likely less than a hundred protesters gathered in the evening, with independent Belarusian media reporting at 6:00 pm that there were more journalists than protesters at the interior ministry. Protests continued at a small scale around the country but avoided confrontation with security forces. This was the first instance of NEXTA’s protest instructions not receiving a widespread response.

But, but, but...



Looks like this weekend will be the final Referendum. If protests are light, it's over.

[Shofercia]

I doubt that is the only reason. I guarantee that even if they liked some things better about the USSR, namely the social support system, they did not like EVERYTHING a little it and would not want an exact return. If you look at the reasons why they cite they miss it, nobody mentions the complete lack of environmental protections and industrial safety, locking people in mental institutions for political purposes, etc.

You're really good at butchering other people's points to pick out the part that isn't the substance of what they are saying.

Obviously no one wants a copy & paste of the Soviet Union back and (in the US) no one wants a copy & paste of, say, the 1980's under Reagan. That doesn't mean people don't want a return of something like the Soviet system, or that there aren't people in the US who want Reaganomics implemented.

And he's completely ignoring the point about transition. If it would be painless, I'm sure that it'd have majority support. But when you go from Csardom to Civil War to repressions to World War to Peaceful Living to Mafia Run Anarchy to 21st Century Russia, all in the time span of less than 100 years, the public's aversion to yet another transitional period is very understandable.

[Novus America]

I doubt that is the only reason. I guarantee that even if they liked some things better about the USSR, namely the social support system, they did not like EVERYTHING a little it and would not want an exact return. If you look at the reasons why they cite they miss it, nobody mentions the complete lack of environmental protections and industrial safety, locking people in mental institutions for political purposes, etc.

You're really good at butchering other people's points to pick out the part that isn't the substance of what they are saying.

Obviously no one wants a copy & paste of the Soviet Union back and (in the US) no one wants a copy & paste of, say, the 1980's under Reagan. That doesn't mean people don't want a return of something like the Soviet system, or that there aren't people in the US who want Reaganomics implemented.

That is the very point. They do not want the Soviet Union back.
As you acknowledge. They like some parts of it, but not all of it. That is the nature of nostalgia. And I do not have the numbers for Belarus, but in Russia they prefer Putin’s system to the Soviet one.

Nostalgia is not the same as wanting something back, even if it means missing the cherry picked good parts and looking at it through rose tinted glasses.

[Phoenicaea]

^_Archregimancy, begin to think you have not been furnished with mild intelligence. do not teach to others because you are not worth. even if this is not daily living, it still feels unpleasant.

given also you show to consider yourself as a wise and you naive. so i do not allow you to strike this pose. for the followers of cretin agitprop above, instead i have a good night to say.

wished to say, i ve heard, his czar-mafia master losing ground in libya. soon also retreat from aegean.

[Shofercia]

^_Archregimancy, begin to think you have not been furnished with mild intelligence. do not teach to others because you are not worth. even if this is not daily living, it still feels unpleasant.

given also you show to consider yourself as a wise and you naive. so i do not allow you to strike this pose. for the followers of cretin agitprop above, instead i have a good night to say.

wished to say, i ve heard, his czar-mafia master, losing ground in libya. soon also retreat from aegean.

This has to be the most unironically made ironic post on NSG.

You're really good at butchering other people's points to pick out the part that isn't the substance of what they are saying.

Obviously no one wants a copy & paste of the Soviet Union back and (in the US) no one wants a copy & paste of, say, the 1980's under Reagan. That doesn't mean people don't want a return of something like the Soviet system, or that there aren't people in the US who want Reaganomics implemented.

That is the very point. They do not want the Soviet Union back.
As you acknowledge. They like some parts of it, but not all of it. That is the nature of nostalgia. And I do not have the numbers for Belarus, but in Russia they prefer Putin’s system to the Soviet one.

Nostalgia is not the same as wanting something back, even if it means missing the cherry picked good parts and looking at it through rose tinted glasses.

As was explained to you, numerous times, Russians want it back, but don't want to go through the transition period. The Soviets originally promised Peace, Land, and Bread. Between 1945 and 1982 said promises were delivered. Yes, there were breadlines, but in the end, you got bread. You felt safe. You knew the rules, and you knew the repercussions. You knew how to succeed and how to fail. If you just wanted to live your life calmly, without stress, and provide a better life for your kids, as most people do, it was a great system.

[Farnhamia]

^_Archregimancy, begin to think you have not been furnished with mild intelligence. do not teach to others because you are not worth. even if this is not daily living, it still feels unpleasant.

given also you show to consider yourself as a wise and you naive. so i do not allow you to strike this pose. for the followers of cretin agitprop above, instead i have a good night to say.

wished to say, i ve heard, his czar-mafia master losing ground in libya. soon also retreat from aegean.

Insulting Moderators after they have issued a ruling against you is not a wise tactic, nor is calling people "followers of cretin agitprop."

*** 7 day ban for flaming (and trolling) ***

[Thermodolia]

And it's now been confirmed that the protests started outside Belarus: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archi ... us/615526/

On Sunday morning, Nexta—the word means “somebody”—posted a red and white invitation to the march. “Ring the doorbells of your neighbors, call your friends and relatives, write to your colleagues,” the message instructed them: “We are going EXCLUSIVELY peacefully to the center of town to hold the authorities to account.” The invitation also contained a list of demands: the immediate freeing of political prisoners, the resignation of Lukashenko, the indictment of those responsible for a shocking series of political murders.

People went to the Minsk march, and to dozens of smaller marches across the country, because they saw that message. On subsequent days, many went on strike because they saw another message on that channel and on channels like it. Over the past 10 days, people all across Belarus have marched, protested, carried red and white flags and banners, and gathered at factories and outside prisons because they trust what they read on Nexta. They trust Nexta even though Sviatlou is only 22 years old, even though he is an amateur blogger, and even though he is outside the country.

But, but, but...

Primary opposition Telegram channel NEXTA may be losing its ability to marshal protesters. NEXTA has driven the focus of protests around the country and particularly in Minsk since August 9, including organizing the largest rally in Belarusian history on August 16. NEXTA did not issue any instructions for protests on August 20 for the first time since the August 9 elections, following a lackluster showing on August 19. NEXTA asked protesters to support strikers and gather at the Belarusian Interior Ministry in Minsk at 6:00 pm local time on August 19.

Likely less than a hundred protesters gathered in the evening, with independent Belarusian media reporting at 6:00 pm that there were more journalists than protesters at the interior ministry. Protests continued at a small scale around the country but avoided confrontation with security forces. This was the first instance of NEXTA’s protest instructions not receiving a widespread response.

But, but, but...



Looks like this weekend will be the final Referendum. If protests are light, it's over.

Ya this is pretty much over.

[Panslavicland]

I'm glad to see that this amateurish attempt to invalidate the legitimate election results has failed. I wouldn't say its over though, if the ringleaders of the protests and strikes have not yet fled the country then I hope the authorities are successful in tracking them down and putting them in prison where they belong.

[Solvokina]

after last opposer got assassinated, i literally see no way to dodge such age of corruption, of infringement of human rights and dignity.

because it’s a teaching of modern age, that where corruption gets impudent and so becomes a pride, you will obtain heartbreak of men.

a thing to be discussed in a forum of capable people, not with retarded talkers of all and nothing.

That last line was a bit harsh, wasn’t it?

Hopefully, Belarus would one day become a liberal democracy.

Good joke. Never gonna happen, also bad idea. Liberal Democracies have done nothing to help society, i've had it with these pieces of shit democracies with neo-lib ideals

[Sharania]

Why a stolen election in Belarus matters to America and the world

Beyond the humanitarian tragedy unfolding, thousands of protesters, including women and children, continue to lock arms in protest of what was a rigged election.

Belarus sits in strategic region

First, Belarus is an important buffer state between NATO and Russia. Any conventional war on the Eurasian landmass would involve its territory, which is why Russia carries out military exercises there.

Second, Belarus is ripe for a new, more representative government to replace the current regime. It is a stain on the European experiment that a Soviet-style dictatorship sits on its doorstep, thumbing its nose at Europe's liberal ideas.

To be sure, Belarus is enjoying greater company as European Union members like Poland and Hungary succumb to Lukashenko-like populism. Reversing this trend would benefit the EU experiment as a whole and provide a stronger buffer against Russia.

Finally, the Vegas rule of Belarus is long gone. Just as Lukashenko denied the presence of COVID-19 in his country, holding hockey games and concerts with little thought or care whether anybody wore masks, what happens elsewhere trickles into Belarus and what happens in Belarus does not stay contained there.

I remember the throngs of protesters who crammed into October Square in downtown Minsk in 2006, chanting slogans of "Long. Live. Belarus!" It was an inspiring moment.

At the time, I remember being dismayed by the lack of organization. Little did I realize how dangerous and difficult it was to organize such disparate strands of an opposition movement in the days before social media.

It's not clear that Facebook or Twitter would have brought about Lukashenko's downfall. The Belarusian writer Evgeny Morozov famously marveled at the naivety and inability of cyberutopians to predict how autocrats like Lukashenko would turn the internet's search engines on their head to surveil their people and prevent grassroots mobilization. His was an outlier view a decade ago; now it's mainstream.

I remember the cat-and-mouse game protesters played with the authorities in 2006 as fake leaflets and flyers were handed out telling protesters to report to various squares, where riot police awaited to arrest them. I also remember the plainclothes KGB planted out front of my apartment, monitoring my every move.

I was shocked yet proud that the world was paying attention to this pocket of Europe, but it has largely ignored Belarus since.
Opposition candidate fled in fear

The United Nations, EU and U.S. government should speak up in unison about the country's atrocious human rights record. It should also support the pro-democracy opposition there more proactively.

The main opposition candidate, a 37-year-old housewife named Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, was forced to flee, fearing for the safety of her family. She joined the race after her husband was detained and prevented from running as a candidate.

It is high time to send in international election observers to declare the vote illegitimate and to hold Lukashenko accountable to his people.

Belarus' more than 9 millions citizens deserve better. What happens in Belarus no longer stays in Belarus.

P.S. I remind everyone here that an American national,Vitali Shkliarov, is still kept captive on fake charges by the illigitimate and no longer internationally recognized Lukashenka's regime. His last publcation was "Belarus Is Having an Anti-‘Cockroach’ Revolution" for the FP. Now he is persecuted for "disturbing the social order". Belarus MATTERS for everyone.

[The Marlborough]

Why a stolen election in Belarus matters to America and the world

Beyond the humanitarian tragedy unfolding, thousands of protesters, including women and children, continue to lock arms in protest of what was a rigged election.

Belarus sits in strategic region

First, Belarus is an important buffer state between NATO and Russia. Any conventional war on the Eurasian landmass would involve its territory, which is why Russia carries out military exercises there.

Second, Belarus is ripe for a new, more representative government to replace the current regime. It is a stain on the European experiment that a Soviet-style dictatorship sits on its doorstep, thumbing its nose at Europe's liberal ideas.

To be sure, Belarus is enjoying greater company as European Union members like Poland and Hungary succumb to Lukashenko-like populism. Reversing this trend would benefit the EU experiment as a whole and provide a stronger buffer against Russia.

Finally, the Vegas rule of Belarus is long gone. Just as Lukashenko denied the presence of COVID-19 in his country, holding hockey games and concerts with little thought or care whether anybody wore masks, what happens elsewhere trickles into Belarus and what happens in Belarus does not stay contained there.

I remember the throngs of protesters who crammed into October Square in downtown Minsk in 2006, chanting slogans of "Long. Live. Belarus!" It was an inspiring moment.

At the time, I remember being dismayed by the lack of organization. Little did I realize how dangerous and difficult it was to organize such disparate strands of an opposition movement in the days before social media.

It's not clear that Facebook or Twitter would have brought about Lukashenko's downfall. The Belarusian writer Evgeny Morozov famously marveled at the naivety and inability of cyberutopians to predict how autocrats like Lukashenko would turn the internet's search engines on their head to surveil their people and prevent grassroots mobilization. His was an outlier view a decade ago; now it's mainstream.

I remember the cat-and-mouse game protesters played with the authorities in 2006 as fake leaflets and flyers were handed out telling protesters to report to various squares, where riot police awaited to arrest them. I also remember the plainclothes KGB planted out front of my apartment, monitoring my every move.

I was shocked yet proud that the world was paying attention to this pocket of Europe, but it has largely ignored Belarus since.
Opposition candidate fled in fear

The United Nations, EU and U.S. government should speak up in unison about the country's atrocious human rights record. It should also support the pro-democracy opposition there more proactively.

The main opposition candidate, a 37-year-old housewife named Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, was forced to flee, fearing for the safety of her family. She joined the race after her husband was detained and prevented from running as a candidate.

It is high time to send in international election observers to declare the vote illegitimate and to hold Lukashenko accountable to his people.

Belarus' more than 9 millions citizens deserve better. What happens in Belarus no longer stays in Belarus.

P.S. I remind everyone here that an American national,Vitali Shkliarov, is still kept captive on fake charges by the illigitimate and no longer internationally recognized Lukashenka's regime. His last publcation was "Belarus Is Having an Anti-‘Cockroach’ Revolution" for the FP. Now he is persecuted for "disturbing the social order". Belarus MATTERS for everyone.

*yawn*

[Shofercia]

Tomorrow, at this time, we will know if there's going to be further compromise, or if revolution possible became mission impossible, and this time there's no Tom Cruise to save the day.

[Exalted Inquellian State]

Tomorrow, at this time, we will know if there's going to be further compromise, or if revolution possible became mission impossible, and this time there's no Tom Cruise to save the day.

It's the final countdown.