• Fakename_Bill [he/him]
    arrow-down
    5
    ·
    4 years ago

    Why should we be supporting the Belarusian government again? Isn't Lukashenko just Belarusian Yeltsin with more Soviet symbolism?

    • Sen_Jen [they/them]
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      4 years ago

      Critical support for anti-imperialism. Same as Iran and Palestine. You shouldn't support their domestic affairs, but you definitely shouldn't support neoliberal coups backed by western powers

      • Fakename_Bill [he/him]
        arrow-down
        4
        ·
        edit-2
        4 years ago

        Please don't take this the wrong way, as it is genuinely a good-faith question. If the government of a country aligned against the US is genuinely bad (take Iran for instance -- they hang gay people for being gay), how can the people of that country fight against ossified, entrenched power systems to make life better in that country without being accused of being an op?

        To pre-emptively answer your question, I support Maduro's Venezuela and recognize the Bolivia coup for the Western-backed power grab that it was. I'm not that type of rube.

        • Bread_In_Baltimore [he/him]
          arrow-down
          7
          ·
          4 years ago

          Well for one, they can't until US Imperialism is crushed. Any organic movement in a US regime change target will be coopted by the US. They literally cannot be free until imperialism is stopped. They would just be trading one master for another, but this time it's a foreign master with insane military power. The only way to avoid this would be to have a very disciplined vanguard that has anti-americanism as one of it's core principles. An example would be if Hezbollah took power in Lebanon. They're by no means socialist but functionally they are a disciplined vanguard capable of withstanding imperialist treachery.

          What you have going on in Belarus is an opposition that has essentially everything the US and EU wants as their platform but doesn't proclaim to be pro-EU or pro-US explicitly, only "pro-democracy". They're even trying to downplay their platform, acting as if it was just a suggestion and that it's not their main focus (it is), Democracy is (it isn't). They actually took their economic privatization and austerity plan down off their website because they don't want people to think "selling off state assets to create an oligarchy and imposing harsh austerity on the working class" when they think of the opposition lol.

          • Fakename_Bill [he/him]
            arrow-down
            5
            ·
            edit-2
            4 years ago

            How does this not sound chauvinistic to you?

            (This is referring to the first paragraph, not the second. I'm convinced on Belarus - if the protesters want to sell off state-owned assets to oligarchs then they're bad)

            • Bread_In_Baltimore [he/him]
              arrow-down
              7
              ·
              4 years ago

              No it doesn't because I actually listen to third world Communists. They want us to focus on Anti-imperialism, and opposing neoliberal color revolutions is part of being an anti-imperialist. To ignore them in favor of siding with the Imperialists interests is to be a chauvinistic "leftist" that thinks they know better than millions of Communists who have been at this for decades.

              • mayor_pete_buttigieg [she/her]
                arrow-down
                1
                ·
                4 years ago

                I actually listen to third world Communists

                Genuinely curious, which third world communists do you listen to?

      • Ol_King_Coleslaw [he/him]
        ·
        4 years ago

        So basically just Syria 2: Electric Boogaloo? The people in power suck shit while American imperialism also sucks shit.

      • SimMs [none/use name]
        arrow-down
        8
        ·
        4 years ago

        coup? the "nazi flag" is actually an old cultural identifier. there aren't any american flags in their rallies.

        • mrbigcheese [he/him]
          ·
          4 years ago

          The white red white flag was always a nationalist symbol, thats why the Nazis used it when they took over in order to fuel anti soviet sentiment. Its absolutely a symbol of the right and inherently anti communist.

    • jabrd [he/him]
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      4 years ago

      Don't support Lukashenko, do support the failure of US empire to dictate the terms that other nations govern themselves along. Either way though you as an individual will have no effect on the matter so make up whatever take you want, it won't change anything

    • Manaanwasgreat [none/use name]
      arrow-down
      4
      ·
      4 years ago

      You shouldn't. You can oppose American imperialism and also be opposed to dictators rigging elections. Not really that hard.

      • Bread_In_Baltimore [he/him]
        arrow-down
        7
        ·
        4 years ago

        What's the third option in this scenario bud? It's either Luka, or the neoliberal opposition, is it not? Is there a third option?

        • mrbigcheese [he/him]
          arrow-down
          3
          ·
          4 years ago

          people dont wanna say it but im sure its just that they would be ok with a neoliberal government taking over, which is what will happen. Its a shitty position, but this sort of color revolution never ends well. Lukashenko agreed to holding a national referendum to abdicate his constitutional powers and hold reelections. The communist party has to take his side on this, theres no real alternative and people pretending otherwise dont understand or want to understand that the right wing and neoliberal opposition is what has the largest position to take over and the most resources and pr from the western governments that are backing them.

      • mrbigcheese [he/him]
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        4 years ago

        What does "being against us imperialism" even mean anymore? you're not ok with it when it happens or you actually fight against it happening? seems like a big difference to me.

        • Manaanwasgreat [none/use name]
          arrow-down
          2
          ·
          edit-2
          4 years ago

          I mean I guess that question would make sense if I believed it was all just being engineered by the US. (I don't).

          Fun fact, all the major unions have been going on strike there. I don't think it's hard to believe people are genuinely pissed off their "president" rigged yet another election and had a disastrous handling of the coronavirus on top of that.

          • mrbigcheese [he/him]
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            edit-2
            4 years ago

            I dont doubt it at all, what i do doubt is the very obvious ties the opposition has to western backed influences and how there's no real left opposition. I think the strikes have also been over emphasized and it was never as large scale as really reported. I'm not sure how overthrowing Lukashenko would result in anything other than a western backed government stepping in. I'm seeing some very obvious parallels with Bolivia here, tho there doesnt seem to be the same sort of large leftist movement in Belarus to at least oppose them. I mean it is what it is at the end of the day I guess.

            • Manaanwasgreat [none/use name]
              arrow-down
              3
              ·
              4 years ago

              I don't really see any parallels. Morales was actually elected to a third term (even if running for that term was pretty stupid of him). This guy won one genuine election over 25 years ago.

    • HarryLime [any]
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      4 years ago

      Isn’t Lukashenko just Belarusian Yeltsin

      No. He literally came to power by fighting against privatization and shock therapy.

      • CommCat [none/use name]
        ·
        edit-2
        4 years ago

        he's the opposite of Yeltsin, thats the big reason why he's targeted, Western elites want a repeat of the fall of the USSR where State Assets are privatized on the penny. The West is backing the main opposition leader Tikhonovskaya and her platform is neoliberalism 101:

        “To create new jobs, a high-quality macroeconomic policy is needed; that is, low inflation, disciplined budget policy, wide scope for private initiative and responsibility for investment decisions.”

        “the right to freely hire workers.” Translated into understandable language, this means: “to allow the employer to freely hire or fire workers without any responsibility.”

        https://www.marxist.com/contradictions-of-the-political-situation-in-belarus-a-warning.htm