Lukashenka’s Belarus – Engage With Caution

As democracy firmly takes hold throughout Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, it is prudent and wise for Americans to remember that one European country – Belarus, our country – is ruled by a modern day dictator who imprisons his perceived political opponents, disregards the civilized rule of law, supervises fundamentally flawed elections at the national and local levels and severely limits basic freedoms of press, assembly, association, language, cultural identity, and religion. Many of our colleagues have been beaten by security forces and either have been or continue to serve time in prisons with deplorable conditions.

Mr. Alexander Lukashenka was elected president of our country in the summer of 1994 and since then has, in the words of the latest State Department’s Country Report on Human Rights for Belarus, “systematically undermined (Belarus’) democratic institutions and concentrated power in the executive branch through authoritarian means, flawed referenda, manipulated elections and arbitrary decrees that undermine the rule of law.” Mr. Lukashenka has been “reelected” two times since in what the international community has judged to be massively fraudulent elections. During his time in office, parliamentary and local elections have also been judged to be patently unfair and flawed.

What was once a country moving into the transparency of prosperous democracy in the early 1990s after the fall of the Soviet Union, is now isolated and lacking economic perspective. Economic performance, which was described as relative economic “stability” (on a very low level according to European standards of welfare), was compiled during a time of generous Russian energy subsidies that will soon be cut off if we are to believe the present intentions of Russian government-controlled energy monopolies. Because of the lack of rule of law in Belarus, foreign investment is low and does not promise to increase much, if at all, under Mr. Lukashenka’s despotic rule.

Now, Mr. Lukashenka, who once hailed and promoted our country’s union with an unstable Russia, is sending apparently positive overtures to the West – namely, the European Union – as a result of Russia ending its energy subsidies to Belarus in January. These insincere entreaties should not be taken seriously by our American and European partners until Mr. Lukashenka demonstrates with concrete actions that Belarus is committed to European-standard democratic processes.

Those concrete actions include freeing Belarusians who are in prison for no other reason than expressing their political views; conducting free and fair elections; allowing a robust and unfettered news media to flourish; empowering an independent judiciary; ensured right for peaceful gatherings and rallies (some of them are planned this spring by the United Democratic Forces); and, generally, respecting fundamental human rights of Belarusians.

Then and, only then, should the West engage Lukashenka as a potential partner in trade and economic and political cooperation.

As we communicated to our American interlocutors in the Congress, the White House, the State Department and the European diplomatic community on our February trip to Washington, we respectively request the West to continue its firm value-based attitude on Lukashenka regime. Concrete, personally targeted actions, such as limiting the travel of Belarusian governmental officials to Europe and North America, are very important. But, also as important, is the ongoing political support we receive from our partners in Europe and the United States; the loud, righteous anger expressed by the American Congress and the European Parliament in the form of resolutions and committee hearings that illuminate the plight of democracy in Belarus.

Lukashenka and his cronies hear this pressure and, particularly now that Belarus’ relationship with Russia has denigrated in recent months, are much more likely to respond to overwhelming international pressure to democratize.

At the same time, a positive message to the Belarusian people is needed. Let's think about a sort of "Marshall Plan" for post-dictatorial Belarus in which substantial support for its economy, energy security, integration in world markets and technologies would be provided.

We represent the continuum of political philosophy in Belarus. We certainly do not agree on all issues and all questions. We are from the left and the right of the political spectrum. But, what unites us is our unwavering commitment to bringing true democratic change to Belarus and to see Belarus takes its place in the civilized family of nations. This is the only way to preserve and strengthen the independence of our country.

And, we will need Europe and America’s continued assistance to make this entry into a reality.

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