Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has now been in power for the better part of 30 years. He has bragged about being "Europe's last dictator." That is something that most leaders would never admit to being, let alone take pride in it.
He was re-elected officially for a sixth time in August of 2020. However, there were such massive protests all around Belarus in the aftermath, that it is clear that Lukashenko is not popular enough to actually have won. The public there cannot wait to get this guy out. But in front of protesters, he waved a semiautomatic weapon, seemingly promising to crack down violently on them. He made good on that threat, with the help of Vladimir Putin from neighboring Russia, who has helped to keep Lukashenko in power. The crackdowns were indeed violent. And while they garnered all of the negative attention that you might expect around the world, the fact of the matter is that it has kept him in power.
Lukashenko tries to portray himself as an all around good guy. He tries to come across as a normal guy, riding around on a motorcycle and playing hockey with his good pal, Putin. But in fact, he is hardly a good guy. He is a brutal dictator, and after first rising to power to become president of the young republic of Belarus in 1994, he has done everything in his power to maintain power, no matter what. It hardly matters that what appears to be a vast majority of his countrymen want him to step down. Political opponents have disappeared in that country, much like they do in other dictatorships. Some have allegedly been subjected to torture, and there are fears that political dissent there will lead to being sent to a concentration camp.
In other words, while most of the rest of the world has moved on from these kinds of brutal dictatorships, Belarus has lagged behind. And this is because of Lukashenko. Oh, and by the way, he seems to be fostering his son now, making sure that he is in the public eye more and more. That obviously smacks of Lukashenko trying to make sure that his son succeeds him in power. Because that's what this world needs is another dictatorial dynasty.
Not long ago, Lukashenko introduced something new on the world scene. He invited immigrants desperate to gain access into the European Union (EU) into his country, promising to assist them in gaining access to neighboring EU nations, particularly Poland and Lithuania. Belarus border guards help these immigrants get to the border, where there is often what is called a "no man's land," or a fenced off zone between hostile, neighboring nations. These EU countries do not simply let these migrants in, but when they turn around, Belarus guards will not let them back into Belarus. Already, bodies have been found in woods near these border lands. It is a completely manufactured humanitarian crisis, although it is overshadowed by other, much larger crises the world over. Still, this practice is low, and it feels as if Lukashenko is playing games with people's lives, quite literally.
Now, Lukashenko just mentioned that Belarus will not be joining Russia in the war in Ukraine currently raging. But Belarus is already involved, since Russian troops were able to use Belarus as a base of operations leading up to and during the invasion. So they sure are involved, and rightly are seeing similar economic sanctions like Russia is facing.
Here is a video by John Oliver that discusses who exactly Lukashenko is, and just how monstrously unpopular he is in Belarus, a country that sure seems to want to move on and put this man in the past, already. Please watch this video. John Oliver does make it entertaining, while also making it quite informative, as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment