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Belarus II: Belarusian Politics after 2020: From Repressions to Liberation

Sat, November 23, 8:00 to 9:45am EST (8:00 to 9:45am EST), Boston Marriott Copley Place, Floor: 4th Floor, Grand Ballroom Salon G

Session Submission Type: Panel

Brief Description

The panel’s main focus is the Republic of Belarus in the independence period. It covers the loss of democracy and the growing dictatorship under Lukashenka as well as the complex and variable relations with the European Union. Particular attention is paid to the situation following the presidential elections of 2020 when the country came very close to a form of liberation, as thousands supported the opposition campaign of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, and tens of thousands massed in the streets to protest the fabricated election results. Though these protests did not succeed in bringing about a change of regime, they clearly affected the mindset of many Belarusians. Some chose to join the Kalinouski Regiment fighting on the side of Ukraine against the Russian invasion. Others fled abroad. The situation that emerged is that of a divided nation, subjected to daily state propaganda and a coordinated effort by Moscow and official Minsk to propagate a strong anti-Western and anti-NATO narrative, trying to regain the initiative that was taken away from the regime in August 2020. Thus while some Belarusians continue to support Lukashenka, however passively, others have taken to arms–arguing that a victory for Ukraine is the best way to bring change in Belarus, or else tried to assemble alternative structures such as the Transitional Cabinet, the movement Free Belarus, and others. The future remains uncertain and repressions have continued, but the situation may not be as bleak as it looks.

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