I am interested in learning of his policies, what he said and did, state of the left movement in Belarus as well as position of the country on the world stage and in the eyes of the non-western countries.
I am interested in learning of his policies, what he said and did, state of the left movement in Belarus as well as position of the country on the world stage and in the eyes of the non-western countries.
I think people here just judge him by Marxists-Standards and as if he could pursue some independent policies like Switzerland. I would like to give you another perspective: You have to judge him by post-soviet leadership standards where he would probably be a 8/10.
See, before in the USSR, everything was one country where it would not be expected to have these small countries be completely on their own. Belarus is reliant on Russia in terms of Energy supplies and in economic supply chains. Since the deindustrialization and sell out of Russia’s oligarchs Belarus should have ended like the Baltics or Ukraine. But it did not. Lukashenko kept the main production lines where it was possible, (like I said before, many supply chains from neighbouring Soviet countries were dropped by them) and renewed them gradually. E.g. Fertiliser and Agrarian machines.
Belarus is not rich, if you compare it to life in Moscow. But compared to Russia‘s regions and other states? He is demanding loans and gas from Moscow for his economy, but they have realistic chances of paying them back one day. Countries like Moldavia have no such opportunities or a future. Health care and public transport is basically free. Communal costs in a year are as much as the local price of 40 milk bags. He does not get much appreciation from the youth because they think it’s given. They do not shit on WW2 or establish some Nazi-Collaborator monuments. If his state owned enterprises sell not enough, he will fly to Pakistan or India and try to re-negotiate the prices. Will somebody like Macron do this?
If he decides to go, and he could anytime, Belarus will turn in another Ukraine.
People write here for Belarusians he’s a 3/10. Well they are probably some youngsters without a job sitting in Tiktok watching countries like Germany all day, because people aged 50/60 know how it will all fall apart without him.
Also him suppressing protestors, well if they mean the 2020 color revolution movement led by Tichanovskaya, another maidan, that literally used the flags of Nazi collaborators during WW2, he prevented creating another Banderastan. If somebody like Tichanovskaya will get in power they will sell out, privatise everything. Wages will drop, pensions will drop, rent will rise.
Every gusano Belarusian who I know who left after the 2020 elections to Poland, came 1-2 years later back, noticing the high living expenses there.
I would say about 80% what he did was right and of course, he is not perfect, and everything he talks publicly is just boomer takes - or even bad for boomer takes. But Lukashenko compared to Ianokovich? To Putin? No way you can put him on the same list.