Posted by Sean on March 31, 2006
Some interesting analysis of the Belarusian elections is now being done. I already pointed to Boris Kagarlitsky’s column. Now here is a discussion with Professors Robert H. Legvold (Political Science, Columbia University) and Lucan Way (Political Science, Temple University) on the Belarusian elections, Lukashenko’s support, and its possible future from Washington Profile. For some reason the discussion isn’t in English on the site (but it is available in English in JRL #78), but it is in Russian.
I won’t go over what they have to say about why Lukashenko maintains popular support despite his authoritarian rule. It is clear that he employs a combination of hard and soft power—repression and control over the media with economic populism.
Still, that doesn’t mean that Lukashenko’s rule is not shaken. Many have pointed out that the recent protests by the opposition created cracks ..read more
Posted by Sean on March 31, 2006
I’m happy to see that a nice discussion has developed around my piece on racism and xenophobia in Russia on Publius Pundit. I urge readers to join in and give their thoughts. Also I want to give special thanks to Alexei from The Russian Dilettante for giving the discussion further context and some rather erudite comments. Thanks Alexei!
Posted by Sean on March 30, 2006
Boris Kagarlitsky’s analysis of the Belarusian elections is a breath of fresh air at a time when what exactly Belarus is has been so muddled by the ideological dueling between East and West. I encourage readers to check out his column “Nine Lives of the Belarusian Cat”. Here are some excerpts.
On why Lukashenko won:
The Russian and the Western mass media have split up into two camps: fervent partisans of the Belarusian regime and its furious enemies. With all that, either of the camps wouldn’t even make a guess, what this regime looks like, and especially, what kind of opposition that is.
Unlike Russia or Kazakhstan, Belarus is not rich in natural resources, therefore, it cannot export raw materials. Unlike Ukraine, it does not have siderurgy. Its domestic market is quite limited as well, for the country is not big. In the times of the USSR it served as the ..read more
Posted by Sean on March 30, 2006
My most recent contribution to Publius Pundit is now online: “Russian Racism, Xenophobia, and National Identity.”
Posted by Sean on March 22, 2006
Though there are a few exceptions, reporting on the elections in Belarus have been awful. Granted, this is a statement that demands qualification. There has been a lot of articles on Belarus, the elections, Lukashenko’s authoritarian grip, the arrests, beatings, and general harassment of the Opposition, the closing of newspapers and independent media, and of course the modest protests in Minsk. All of these are worthy stories and they all should be reported. Still, in my opinion, something has been lacking. Amid the deluge of news, few have actually told me anything explaining why Lukashenko is genuinely popular and why even without rigging the elections, which was certainly done, he would have won anyway. The answer that most have given is a standard and reductive one: Lukashenko’s rule by fear. Sure fear is a factor, but frankly I don’t completely buy it. ..read more
Posted by Sean on March 20, 2006
I don’t have time to provide up to the minute coverage of the Belarusian elections. There are many places you can go to get it and they all do a much better job than I can. Robert Mayer at Publius Pundit has updates as well as links to find blog updates. As mentioned before br23 blog is a good place to go. One can always do a Google news search for Belarus. Hundreds of articles are listed there. And to repeat, RFE/RL has special coverage of the elections. I find the NY Times piece on the Belarusian countryside and why Lukashenka is popular there a good perspective since news tends to focus on Minsk.
For my part, I intend to write a piece that reflects on the elections and what they mean after the smoke clears. That is if it does ..read more
