BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

19/10/2007

Comment - The weird but not wonderful Lukashenka

Criticizing Aleksander Lukashenka, the Belarusian President and semi-dictator, seems to be just too easy.

Comment by Aleksander Kropiwnicki

However, it's time to mention this gloomy person because what he's done now might appear dangerous for Europe in the future.

Lukashenka, a little weird figure, is not the only such politician in the world. There are some similar, both in Eastern and Western countries. The difference is that in other European countries such men don't become heads of state. Also, they are not so broadly supported by the voters.

Belarus hasn't had its own specific tradition of independence, unlike neighboring countries: Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine or Russia. This is probably the main reason why in the early 1990s the Belarussians rejected high-minded but somewhat boring Stanislav Shushkevich and decided to obey Lukashenka, a former director of a Soviet kolkhoz. He was anti-Western and encouraged the people to keep living and working as they had used to under Communism. At the same time the nation had had no international experience and was afraid of the new, unknown future. Since that time Lukashenka's only task is to keep his people preserved in this special, post-Soviet 'Neverland'.

Nevertheless, in the global world, it cannot be continued for ever. The nation, in spite of being patient and non-violent, can say 'enough' at any moment. Besides, Lukashenka's relations with Moscow are worsening and the immediate result are higher prices of Russian energy. The problem is that if the post-Soviet Belarussian economy hasn't collapsed yet, it was thanks to cheap Russian energy. If it collapses overnight, the game will be over for the President.

Facing catastrophy, Lukashenka has even been trying to repair his extremely bad relations with the West but it failed.

Finally, he decided to raise his popular support by presenting his nation with a convenient enemy. Yes, you are guessing right: the Jews. During a press conference some days ago he claimed that one of the Belarussian large towns, once inhabited by many Jewish people, was particularly messy, 'as if pigs were living there'. He suggested that one could say similar things about Israel itself. The Ambassador of Israel in Minsk reacted furiously, accusing Lukashenka of anti-Semitism. According to the Ambassador, Lukashenka is bringing back to life the stereotype of dirty Jews.

Yes, you're right, Ambassador. That's what it looks like. We still remember similar cases from the past. And we perfectly know what can happen next. Let's watch Belarus.

Source:

http://www.polskieradio.pl/zagranica/gb/dokument.aspx?iid=64584

Google