Freedom forces are pushing for a war in another country free of Vladimir Putin’s allies, as a popular uprising seeks to prevent Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, aka “Europe’s last dictator,” from stealing the August 9 election.
Lukashenko announced that he would win the post for the sixth time with 60% of the vote. In 9.5 million countries, hundreds of thousands are protesting pro-democracy.
The United States and many other countries are refusing to accept elections as legitimate, with testimony from voters confirming the rigidity of the vote.
Lukashenko refused to step down or hold another election. His government has deported or imprisoned all the top leaders of the opposition; His “defeated” opponent Svetlana Tikhanovskaya is hiding in Lithuania until further notice.
He also oversaw the arrests of more than 12,000 protesters – about 70 prisoners went missing and four died. In the first few days after the election, police fired tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons at the crowd. Canada and Britain are imposing sanctions on Lukashenko’s government for protesting against human rights abuses against protesters, including Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia.
Washington has had its own sanctions on Luvashenko since 2006, but more are yet to be imposed on the crackdown. It will probably wait to move forward at the same time as the European Union – which is mired in its other intermittent controversies. (Cyprus says it will veto everything unless the EU backs it in a dispute with Turkey.)
Putin, meanwhile, has offered military assistance to Lukashenko and accused Washington of promoting the revolution in Belarus. The Kremlin relies on Belarus as NATO versus buffer and money for oil and gas exports – and the Russian pride does not want to come close to real democracy Moscow.
Indeed, Putin’s Russia has regularly invaded nations around its perimeter, sending hardly invisible administrators to create Ukrainian “civil wars” while occupying the territory of Georgia and Ukraine.
But the change in Belarus is a sign that their strategy is failing on a large scale, as the people of Belarus join the push for democracy. His refusal to continue to remain silent against his 26-year-old dictator is a monumental step.
“Belarusians have a responsibility to stand up for their rights, for their freedom,” Tikhnovskaya told Politico, but called on each country to “be ready to help only us.”
The West will not do more without approval – even if Russia sends troops or its “little green men.” If Putin’s regime should be slapped as well as Lukashenko. But Washington, Washington and the Europeans must find ways to help and support the independence forces as much as possible.
After all, the loss for Putin is the victory of democracy everywhere.
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