I think the whole situation is risible no matter how you look at it -- Luka for some reason feels he needed to arrange things bump his share of the vote from from maybe 60% to 80% (I think); a pathetic Yushchenko wannabe camped out there in Minsk with a whole 200 supporters, claiming he's the future; people denouncing the guy who did get 60% of the vote even though he felt he had to bump it up as a dictatorial oppressor of his subjects, who in fact support him; and mostly the hope that there will be a Ukraine-style revo in Belarus.
Belarussians are like the most conservative (in the fSU sense) and mellow people on the planet. They make the Swiss look like crazed anarchist bomb-throwers. They like stability, peace and order, and Batka gives them that. There is almost no nationalism in Belarus, so there is no nationalist card to play like in Ukraine and Georgia. Moreover, since lots of Belarussians view the West as an enemy, taking money from Western "pro-democracy" sources does about as much for a Belarussian politician's approval ratings as taking it from the Chinese did for Al Gore's. I think the whole thing is ludicrous on a whole lot of levels.
--- joanna <123hop at comcast.net> wrote:
> Chris,
>
> Any comment on the contested election in Belarus?
>
> Joanna
>
> ___________________________________
>
http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
>
Nu, zayats, pogodi!
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