A domino effect in Belarus? Brussels must play its role

After, Kiev, might Minsk be next? The Belarusian opposition are hoping so. But this time the European Union cannot just emerge from the shadows at the last moment. Here's why.

A democratic ‘domino effect’ is perfectly possible and President Lukashenko can see it coming. After the collapse of the USSR, Belarus ended up in the hands of the tyrant of Minsk who preserved everything from the old system, including the most authoritarian of customs. However, from the moment when Yushchenko’s democratic opposition began to make headway in Ukraine, Lukashenko has been quaking in his boots. He fears the next elections in his own country might get rid of his regime and consign him to the same fate as Ukraine’s president Kuchma, who was effectively imprisoned in his own palace for days by thousands of protesters.

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