Grateful ally of Poland... Only yesterday I returned from vacation (I was in Turkey) to learn that Poles should avoid visiting Belarus because Belarusian police have already arrested many decent Poles there www . rferl . org / content / EUs_Ashton_Condemns_Crackdown_On_Polish_Activists_In_Belarus/1960 173 . html. ****! My younger brother lives there!!
You know, it all looks quite peculiar! Yet as far back as a week ago nothing of the king was going to happen: My native country Poland became a strong advocate of Belarus in relations with the EU after we had invited Alexander Lukashenko in the Eastern Partnership a year ago. But what do we have now? hm...
Well, well, well...I think Mr. Lukashenko (president of Belarus) has a correct nickname – the last dictator of Europe. Only a dictator could THIS WAY thank his allies, when he thought he didn't need us any more!
So I think our government is rightly threatening to isolate Belarus so that to teach Lukashenko a lesson www . ft . com / cms / s/0/1449d860-1a55-11df-a2e3-00144feab49a . html. Or you can see any other options?
There are two organizations of Polish activists in Belarus. One is legal and the other is not yet it was openly working for years and was openly supported by the Polish government all this time. It's not surprising that its memebrs were arrested. The only thing that surprises me is that Belarussians let us spit in their faces for such a long time before finally reacting.
Vetala, the problem is, that Belarus gov. didn't recognized legally elected leader of Polish organization in 2005, and after that Belarus gov. helped in dividing this organization.
Yes, that it certainly a problem. However, it could be resolved in a better, more diplomatic way of dealing than by openly ignoring and disobeying the authorities and getting Poland involved. The Belarussian government is simply trying to keep face, to show that they are the ones who have the last word in their own country, not Poland.
No, they not only trying to keep face. From the begining main goal of Belarusan gov. is to seize independent organization by force. Ok, let say that we don't care about values, what Poland would gain if we keep a blind eye on this and support dictatorship? Almost nothing, Belarus has no meaningful resources and is not important trade partner either. Beside we would lose face in democratic countries club. So, from pragmatic point of view Poland has two choices:
1. lose face and gain almost nothing 2. or support illegaly overthrown leadership of friendly polonia organization and safe face internally and externally
I think point 2 is obvious. Belarus is not China, there is no need to have second thoughts about what Lukaszenka can or can't. He is just to small player.
Poland should have good relations with Belarus because they are Slavic cousins.
That's ridiculous. You don't have good relations with someone just because they happen to be your cousins.. As the saying goes, you chose your friends not your family..
Especially when you have misgivings about them and feel superior to them. Besides, Russia has robbed Belarus of much of its identity. I had a second Belarussian student recently and he confirmed what the first told me early last year. He couldn't even give me some lines from his own language as he was forced to learn Russian.
Polish activists arrested?...Maybe 'Polish agitators' or 'Polish activists paid by Khazar agitators'.
No, not polish agitators. Polish minority living there for hundreds of years. They had a dozen or so "Polish houses" partially financed by Poland few years ago. Nothing fancy, that much we owe them. Anyway it was seized by Belarusian authorities by seizing Polish organization first. It has nothing to do with words like imperialism, revisionism, etc. It is simple issue of minority rights which are abused by dictatorship authorities. Belarusan opposition as far as I know defends Polish minority.
I take it is like everywhere you have good people and corrupt government. Throughout history the people were abuse so they might have some hate toward neighboring countries and the evil Germans.
Belarus suffered a lot under the Germans , and was not treated very well by the Russians either....
Rather a shame that after finally freeing themselves from Soviet domination they end up with a leader that wants to keep running things the way the Soviets did....
