New Europe, Old Europe, and Dictators in Europe
Belarus's President Aleksandr Lukishenko was elected the same day as Mr. Kuchma was elected in Ukraine. Both leaders speak very favorably of the Soviet system, especially for Stalinist policies. Many of the policies their governments have implemented suggest their praise for Comrade Stalin runs much deeper than ensuring they get 101% of the votes at the next "election". Mr. Lukishenko quite cleverly forced all Western diplomats out of Belarus. That makes knowing the severity of the situation there very difficult, but one thing can surely be said of it: Imagine the worst forms of governmental subjugation and brutality, and you have an image that is at least on the level of what Mr. Lukishenko imposes on his undeserving subjects.
Mr. Kuchma is also a threat to the security and the best interests of Ukraine, but Mr. Kuchma has not slammed the door on dialogue. Mr. Lukishenko is at best a third rate butchering dictator; at his worst he is Belarus's version of Saddam Hussein or Kim Jung Il.
Of these two countries Ukraine has much better prospects than Belarus to regain the liberties it has lost. Belarus will need many years to modernize itself. The first step in that process will involve ridding itself of Mr. Lukishenko - something that will be no simple task. Like North Koreans and Iraqis, the Belarussian people have no access to the instrumentalities needed to rid themselves of their very troublesome ruler. All media is tightly controlled by the state. Publishing anything unauthorized will get you at least twenty years in prison where you will be worked or starved to death long before your sentence ends. Organizing a militia is impossible because the army controls the guns, and with closed borders, smuggling anything in is impossible unless you are a government agent.
And how have international organizations responded to these obvious human rights abuses? To date the response has been generally silence - as it is in too many cases of domination by totalitarian dictators. Where are all the Amnesty, Human Rights Watch, and UNHCR reports and inspectors? Of course they are nowhere near Belarus because they cannot get into Belarus, but sadly these groups are not even complaining that they cannot get into Belarus. And while these groups are busy not complaining, thousands of Belarussians are being enslaved and tortured simply because they don't like the brutal thugs who now rule them. And like the millions who have
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