Day 18: Belarus

[Tetro Kornbluth]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus



Supposedly "Europe's last dictatorship" with a government close to that of Vladmir Putin (some rocky moments between the two aside). Its economy can generously be described as 'post-Soviet' with emphasis on the latter. It still has to deal with the aftermath of the Chernobyl explosion whose effects were mostly within the southern part of the country (even though Chernobyl is in Ukraine). Occasional murmurs persist of the country rejoining Russia but that is not a runner as of present. Otherwise, it is extremely flat with its highest point only at 346 metres high. Part of the Great European Steppe.

Below is a map of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1618 following its truce in the war against Russia (this during The Time of Troubles) overlapped with the modern borders of the region. All of modern Belarus is in the Lithuanian part of the Commonwealth, which is coloured purple

[2952-0-0]

Recently Lukashenko has demonstrated a few token gestures designed to reconcile with the west, like releasing political prisoners and issuing less pro-Soviet history textbooks.

[Simfan34]

Recently Lukashenko has demonstrated a few token gestures designed to reconcile with the west, like releasing political prisoners and issuing less pro-Soviet history textbooks.

He even gave a speech in Belarusian-- and this is someone who once said something to the effect of "only losers speak Belarusian". It's part of his balancing strategy of being close to Russia but not too close, which has gotten rather more difficult since the Ukraine crisis. Indeed, looking at his comments on the annexation of Crimea, one might be tempted to call him a "moderate hero", if a dictatorial one:

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[Crumpets]

I'm writing a 60 page thesis on it right now. Do you want to hear about cultural tropes used in state and non-state propaganda as a reflection of the reconstructed memory of WWII in the wake of the Soviet withdrawal and how it reflects an increasing trend of isolationism in the country? Because if you do, I'm your guy.

[Crumpets]

Also, "fun" fact about Belarus - per capita, it lost by far and away the most people in World War II of any country, if you divide the USSR into its constituent republics. 25% of the Belarusian population died in WWII. For context, 17% of Poland's population died and 13% of the Russian SSR's population died.

[Grand Wizard Lizard of the Klan]

http://eng.belta.by/all_news/economics/International-oil-gas-industry-services-company-eager-to-cooperate-with-Belarus_i_84525.html

http://eng.belta.by/all_news/economics/Two-new-pipelines-to-transport-oil-products-in-Belarus_i_84175.html

Next attempts to become more independent in terms of resources or another bargaining card in relations with Russia?

[Nhoj]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/29/belarus-president-alexander-lukashenko-kolya

[Simfan34]

On his other son: "A useless weakling who will soon be even weaker".

[Beezer]

No thread on the incredibly exciting presidential elections?

[Crumpets]

No thread on the incredibly exciting presidential elections?

It's sort of in this thread. https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=204515.25