Belarus II ("elections")
- Here is a very interesting interview with James Sherr OBE (Estonian Foreign Policy Institute) on Belarus, Russia and the West, recently made by former Belarusian presidential candidate and diplomat in exile Andrei Sannikov.
"Interview with James Sherr on Belarus, Russia and the West" (Video 15:27)
- Andrei Sannikov made following remarks on the video:
- "Sharp, intelligent, knowledgeable and wise James Sherr on Belarus, Russia and the West in an interview on the eve of "election" in Belarus.
Here are some wise thoughts form the interview:
-Window of opportunity will really open when the democratic impulse goes to workers, countryside, ordinary people.
-If Putin relies on his KGB training which is very disciplined about the relationship between means and ends it is not inevitable that Russia will intervene if Lukashenko is replaced
- I’m more concerned what we should not do than what we should do. The worst thing will be advising stability. If a pot is boiling you don’t stabilize it with a lid and a brick on the lid: you’ll get a bigger explosion.
- We should firmly say that the future of Belarus will be determined by its people: not by its leaders, security services or foreign actors.
- If an alternative to the known risk is a bigger risk then you have to try to deal with the known risk and that requires firmness, clarity and courage."
(Photo: KL)
