Alexander Lukashenko has spent 17 years crushing his domestic opponents, keeping the economy in a Soviet-time warp and taunting the West while cozying up to the Kremlin.
Now we can see where this policy has gotten the nation: The currency has been sharply devalued and its tinpot leader has had to give away control over key assets to Russia in exchange for emergency loans.
To Ukraine, the message is: There is only one path, neither Western nor Eastern. That path is democracy.
After thumbing his nose at the West, he’s back with his hat out seeking a multi-billion-dollar loan from the International Monetary Fund.
The West should refuse to lend Lukashenko anything while at the same time help ease the suffering of ordinary Belarusians.
To Ukraine, the message is: There is only one path, neither Western nor Eastern. That path is democracy.
Despite President Viktor Yanukovych’s statements that his administration will pursue integration with the European Union, he is taking the nation down the opposite path.
Crony capitalism and corruption are running amok. The politically motivated prosecutions of opponents haven’t fooled anyone. Moreover, the nation is still left begging Russia for cheaper prices on natural gas while its leaders cannot articulate what they are willing to give up in return.
The example of Lukashenko shows that there is no benefit in dealing with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. He has never respected Ukraine’s independence.
He doesn’t think this nation is a real country. He doesn’t think the Allies needed Ukraine’s contribution to win World War II. He tries to stifle democratic advancement by pressuring Ukraine to join the Russian-led Customs Union rather than pursue a free trade deal with Europe.
Any economic concessions from the Kremlin would come with unacceptable demands. The Yanukovych administration, however, is quickly painting itself into a Lukashenko-like corner by allowing corruption to flourish, by paying only lip service to democracy and remaining deaf to complaints of investors and regular citizens alike.
Ukraine’s leaders may find that the democratic world has tuned them out, leaving them to strike deals with the likes of Putin.
