{"id":11550,"date":"2023-03-31T13:00:38","date_gmt":"2023-03-31T10:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/api.pozirk.online\/longreads\/cichanouskaja-her-team-face-typical-challenges-can-manage\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T20:29:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:29:13","slug":"cichanouskaja-her-team-face-typical-challenges-can-manage","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11550\/","title":{"rendered":"Cichano\u016dskaja, her team face typical challenges, can manage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n <span>By Lesia Rudnik<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p>\n <b><span>Belarusians celebrated the 105<\/span><\/b><sup><b><span>th<\/span><\/b><\/sup><b><span> anniversary of the first independent Belarusian state, the Belarusian National Republic (BNR), on March 25. Rallies and demonstrations took place in European capitals, the United States, Canada and other countries.<\/span><\/b>\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Although \u015aviatlana Cichano\u016dskaja\u2019s government in exile receives much more international support than the BNR leaders after they fled abroad, it should deal with challenges to make sure it is not pushed to the margins of politics.\n<\/p>\n<h2>Risk of losing touch with the people<\/h2>\n<p>\n\t Members of the BNR Rada, just as Belarus\u2019 pro-democracy leaders in 2020, was forced to leave the country to avoid arrest. Emigration was the only way to survive in those circumstances. As the Alaksandr \u0141uka\u0161enka regime continues its relentless campaign of terror, opposition politicians choose between lengthy prison sentences and emigration.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Since Cichano\u016dskaja\u2019s Office and her United Transitional Cabinet operate abroad, they may lose touch with Belarusians in Belarus.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t At present, the \u00e9migr\u00e9 opposition has more platforms and technologies to reach out to voters than the BNR. Social media enable it to receive feedback, while Belarusians can follow its activities. Therefore, it has more tools than the BNR to communicate with Belarusians in the country.\n<\/p>\n<h2>No influence on regime<\/h2>\n<p>\n\t The \u00e9migr\u00e9 government faces a major challenge such as persistent efforts by the Alaskandr \u0141uka\u0161enka regime to disrupt its ties with voters, groups and initiatives in Belarus. It does not have the resources and opportunities to address social and economic needs of society, which is fully reliant on the government in Minsk.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t As the gap between Belarusians\u2019 social and economic needs and the \u00e9migr\u00e9 government\u2019s ability to address them widens, public interest in its activities may fade.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Despite the challenge, Cichano\u016dskaja\u2019s diplomatic efforts still keep her in the game. The ties she has built will play an important role in the country\u2019s recovery after dictatorship.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Capitalizing on these ties, the \u00e9migr\u00e9 government will have many attractive proposals for pragmatic Belarusians who do not necessarily support it at present. Border partnership, visa-free travel and education programs are some of the examples of what is to come in the future.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Moreover, the West may launch a program similar to the post-war Marshall Plan to assist Belarus with recovery.\n<\/p>\n<h2>Reliance on sustainable democracies<\/h2>\n<p>\n\t Based on the BNR history, one can assume that \u00e9migr\u00e9 governments tend to rely on more sustainable and solid democracies. The BNR Rada moved from Vilnius to Prague and then to New York and Toronto.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t The Cichano\u016dskaja camp has forged strong ties with Lithuania and Poland. Since the beginning of the 2020 protests, the United States has provided $60 million for support of civil society in Belarus.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Cichano\u016dskaja and other opposition leaders have repeatedly visited the United States. Cichano\u016dskaja\u2019s latest visit was timed to coincide with Freedom Day, March 25. Members of her cabinet hoisted a white-red-white flag in Boston.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t In Washington, US officials unveiled a plan to launch a strategic dialog with Belarus\u2019 civic society later this year. After Vilnius moved to impose restrictions on Belarusians in Lithuania, Washington looks a more reliable and sustainable partner.\n<\/p>\n<h2>Better prospects<\/h2>\n<p>\n\t Cichano\u016dskaja\u2019s camp finds itself in a more favorable position that the BNR Rada.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t The United States and European Union have reiterated their commitment to support Belarus\u2019 civil society. The scale of support is much bigger than assistance to the BNR.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t The heavy presence of Belarusian pro-democracy forces in Poland and Lithuania will likely enable the opposition camp to maintain its central headquarters in an EU country. Unlike the BNR, the Belarusian pro-democracy forces have large numbers of public politicians and initiatives across Europe.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t The communication gap between Belarusians in Belarus and the \u00e9migr\u00e9 government may reflect on chances of Cichano\u016dskaja or other \u00e9migr\u00e9 opposition leaders in a democratic election. The former presidential candidate and her cabinet are likely to play a symbolic role, like the BNR Rada.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Nevertheless, the \u00e9migr\u00e9 opposition camp has much more resources to expand international ties and drew new politicians into its campaign in a bid to exert more influence on Belarusian society.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Developments have accelerated dramatically, so change in the region and Belarus may come sooner especially if Ukraine\u2019s forces advance to retake territory captured by the Russians.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t &nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lesia Rudnik Belarusians celebrated the 105th anniversary of the first independent Belarusian state, the Belarusian National Republic (BNR), on March 25. Rallies and demonstrations took place in European capitals, the United States, Canada and other countries. Although \u015aviatlana Cichano\u016dskaja\u2019s government in exile receives much more international support than the BNR leaders after they fled [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":0,"template":"","rubric":[24],"class_list":["post-11550","longreads","type-longreads","status-publish","hentry","rubric-theviewer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Cichano\u016dskaja, her team face typical challenges, can manage | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"By Lesia Rudnik Belarusians celebrated the 105th anniversary of the first independent Belarusian state, the Belarusian National Republic (BNR), on March\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11550\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cichano\u016dskaja, her team face typical challenges, can manage | Pozirk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Lesia Rudnik Belarusians celebrated the 105th anniversary of the first independent Belarusian state, the Belarusian National Republic (BNR), on March\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11550\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pozirk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pozirkonline\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-24T20:29:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Pozirk_online\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11550\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11550\/\"},\"headline\":\"Cichano\u016dskaja, her team face typical challenges, can manage\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-03-31T10:00:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-24T20:29:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11550\/\"},\"wordCount\":714,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11550\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11550\/\",\"name\":\"Cichano\u016dskaja, her team face typical challenges, can manage | Pozirk\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-03-31T10:00:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-24T20:29:13+00:00\",\"description\":\"By Lesia Rudnik Belarusians celebrated the 105th anniversary of the first independent Belarusian state, the Belarusian National Republic (BNR), on March\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11550\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11550\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11550\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Cichano\u016dskaja, her team face typical challenges, can manage\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Pozirk\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Pozirk\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/cropped-Logo_color_512.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/cropped-Logo_color_512.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Pozirk\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pozirkonline\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/Pozirk_online\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Cichano\u016dskaja, her team face typical challenges, can manage | Pozirk","description":"By Lesia Rudnik Belarusians celebrated the 105th anniversary of the first independent Belarusian state, the Belarusian National Republic (BNR), on March","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11550\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Cichano\u016dskaja, her team face typical challenges, can manage | Pozirk","og_description":"By Lesia Rudnik Belarusians celebrated the 105th anniversary of the first independent Belarusian state, the Belarusian National Republic (BNR), on March","og_url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11550\/","og_site_name":"Pozirk","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pozirkonline\/","article_modified_time":"2026-02-24T20:29:13+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@Pozirk_online","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11550\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11550\/"},"headline":"Cichano\u016dskaja, her team face typical challenges, can manage","datePublished":"2023-03-31T10:00:38+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-24T20:29:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11550\/"},"wordCount":714,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11550\/","url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11550\/","name":"Cichano\u016dskaja, her team face typical challenges, can manage | Pozirk","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-03-31T10:00:38+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-24T20:29:13+00:00","description":"By Lesia Rudnik Belarusians celebrated the 105th anniversary of the first independent Belarusian state, the Belarusian National Republic (BNR), on March","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11550\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11550\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11550\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Cichano\u016dskaja, her team face typical challenges, can manage"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/","name":"Pozirk","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization","name":"Pozirk","url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/cropped-Logo_color_512.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/cropped-Logo_color_512.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Pozirk"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pozirkonline\/","https:\/\/x.com\/Pozirk_online"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/longreads\/11550","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/longreads"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/longreads"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/75"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"rubric","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rubric?post=11550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}