Americans are intelligent and perceptive people. Most Americans are hard working and honest. Sadly most of us have to work so many hours to afford to have decent lives that we don't have time to do dilligence on what our diplomats abroad are saying, and most of us don't have time to pay close attention to what our foreign policy actually is around the world.
It is obvious the people of America have allowed our perverbial "goat" to get loose and eat the flowers of our neighbors on several occasions. Ultimately the people of America are responsible for what our "goat" or government is doing with our money and our good name.
Perhaps we need to more closely examine the facts surrounding our foreign policy in regards to The Republic of Belarus and her president Alexander Lukashenka.
Upon examination of the facts of this case, many Americans will recognize the right of Belarusians to pick a president, and join their country in a union-state with Russia.
Many Americans would proably vote for Lukashenka in a mock vote if given the chance to pretend to vote as Belarusians and live with the consequences of our vote.
American foreign policy is complicated and sometimes abstract, but Americans understand that frequently unscrupulous and dishonest parties come to power here in America.
Americans also know that our foreign policy is often engeneered to benefit the short term goals and interests of our Washington burocrats and not the American population in general.
We also know that often our "official foreign policy" is not just wrong but criminally wrong.
Most Americans don't earn their living from being an "Ambassador" to another country.
Karen Stewart is misleading the world when she states " the United States will not recognize a Union State between Russia and Belarus. "
Believe me, If America recognizes present day Iraq, or Sudan, or Likme-Dikme, we will clearly recognize a union state between Russia and Belarus.
Perhaps there are some War Criminals and xenophobes that ultimately will have their monpolar influence dulled by this proposed Union State, and they may continue a Mafia-like strangelhold over the state dept, thus controling its official statements and press releases.
But the conscience of America will recognize the reality that Lukashenka is the rightfully elected president of Belarus, and we will also recognize that if Belarus wishes to form a union state with Russia, she clearly has this right.
Ambassador Stewart should be a little more precise with her statements about what America will and won't do, and what we won't recognize. Perhaps she will be big enough in the future to begin to acknowledge that many or at least some Americans are supporters of Lukashenka, Putin, Belarus, and Russia, and of a future Union State if both of these two countries desire to do this.
Michael Miller
Indianapolis
2006
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3 comments:
Beating people into submission doesn't seem like a "fair election" in my opinion. Nor does the use of fear as a major motivator endear many to embrace a philosophy, but rather submit.
Congratulations John! You have won a beer! You have a right to your opinion, and I will endeavor for the history of my blog to not "intellectually welch" when responding to comments. What this means is that if I am presented with a lucid comment and or argument I will address it in a fair and credible fashion and if you make a point, I will award it. I am not sure whether or not you have made a point, but like I say, my blog is designed to generate conversation about Belarus, and hopefully this same conversation will ultimately help the people of Belarus to live happier, higher quality lives. So here is my response to you my friend. The belarusian election did ultimately involve some policemen dispersing crowds, and crowd control can get rough. But there were no beatings metted out by the Lukashenka Regeime to make the country vote for him and have him win by 86%. So, I don't believe that physical violence was used to coerce the population to cast their vote in a certain way. Perhaps you mean to say that somehow the threat of physical violence from the Belarusian Authorities prevented canidates from running or campaigning. I have not yet seen marks or bruises on any Belarusian canidate. In fact there were numerous political canidates that were running for office and their were numerous and the Belarusians had many choices they could have made instead of Lukashenka.
If I am not mistaken Kozulin took a few punches when he tried to crash a debate one night. So, maybe he was marked up pretty good. Maybe the Belarusian police got "handy" with some people passing out fliers for their canidates. Maybe so. If you have evidence of this please tell me so I can correct my comment to you.
However, have you tried to pass out fliers for your favorite canidate in America lately? It only takes a simple phone call from a merchant you are standing in front of to have the local police send you on your way. What happens to you if you do not move? What happens to you here in America if you attempt to somehow resist your arrest? No, America is not Belarus, but we do have analagous problems with free assembly and public speech that aren't always talked about or remembered.
You implied that fear is only good for forcing a population to submit to a philosophy, not embrace it.
You are right. However I do not believe that Lukashenka has personally molded the Belarusian political tastes by using fear. It is correct that the Soviet System was very compelling to its citizens, and they had little other choice but to embrace it.
And it is proably true today that the Belarusian political climate and the personal political tastes of most Belarusians are throughly interwoven with this Soviet mentality.
So if you are trying to say that current Belarusian political tastes exist because of years of Soviet Rule, then you are correct.
However, that doesn't change the fact that on March 19, 2006 86% of the Belarusian population elected Lukashenka above many other possible canidates to be their president.
If you believe that Lukashenka was elected because he commanded furious amounts of support from the media and from his being the incumbent president, you are correct. And if you say that Lukashenka himself has a powerful influence over this same media, then you are also correct.
But would it not also be correct to say that Alexander Milenkivitch had tremendous "artificial support" from the United States? Is it not also correct to say that perhaps our country elected to support Milenkevitch for reasons that weren't solely for the good of the Belarusian people?
Only you or your fellow readers can decide these questions for yourself.
I hope I have answered you in a credible and fair fashion without intellectually welching.
And you can have that Beer whenever you like.
Mike
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