The regime managed to stifle the mass protests but not the protests per se: it continues in the streets of Belarus in the form of small scale “partisan” acts with the white-red-white national flag, and on the Internet where the identi- ties of the “siloviki” are being revealed. [...] Origins of the 2020 protests and regime brutality Both the large-scale and long-term protests of the people and the outburst of violence from the Lukashenko’s regime were not unexpected. [...] The first wave started in the mid-1980s and led to the collapse of the Soviet totalitarian state and the demolition of “the socialist camp,” though its promise has long remained unfilled within the borders of the former USSR itself. [...] The Kremlin apparently realizes the potential of the second wave and is there- fore demonstrating its support for anti-democratic forces in order to preserve its “spheres of interest.” In fact, it’s a battle for values where the aggressive- ness of the Kremlin stands no chance if the values are supported and not betrayed. [...] Security relations align with strengthened economic connections – the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement in the case of the EU, and the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement in the case of Ukraine.
- Pages
- 14
- Published in
- Canada
