{"id":3172,"date":"2023-09-19T13:29:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-19T10:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/api.pozirk.online\/?post_type=longreads&p=3172"},"modified":"2023-09-29T13:00:36","modified_gmt":"2023-09-29T10:00:36","slug":"government-struggling-to-create-illusion-of-national-unity","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/3172\/","title":{"rendered":"Government struggling to create illusion of national unity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Belarusian government celebrated National Unity Day on September 17 amid deepening political polarization.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Polarization instead of unity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur common task is to multiply the potential and glory of our native land, preserve its distinctness and international authority through dialogue and understanding\u201d Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka said in his message of greetings to the nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The objective stands in sharp contrast to his government\u2019s repressive policy that has caused deep political divisions. The government continues its campaign to frighten people into submission by imprisoning opponents for participation in the 2020 post-election protests and criticism of its policies and by forcing those discontent out of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, the Belarusian leader uses \u201cdistinctness\u201d as an excuse for rejecting democratic standards and defending his anti-Western policies. His attacks on democracy have tarnished Belarus\u2019 international reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Days before the holiday, the Belarusian strongman directed that the Belarusian embassies and consulates stop providing passport and notary services to compatriots living abroad. Many Belarusians fear that they would be arrested if they return to the country to renew passports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka declared National Unity Day in 2021 in an apparent attempt to turn the page on mass protests against his disputed victory in the 2020 presidential election. He also declared 2021 Year of National Unity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, he has not taken his foot off the gas in his campaign of intimidation as he seeks to forestall a new uprising against his rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

History biased against Poland<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The holiday is timed to coincide with the anniversary of the Red Army\u2019s attack on Poland on September 17, 1939. Soviet propaganda cited the protection of national minorities as a pretext for the offensive, which Poland described as a stab on the back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Soviet Union regained territory that had been ceded to Poland under the 2021 Riga treaty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, Belarus\u2019 area expanded considerably, although it was not an independent nation state at the time. The Soviet Army invaded Poland after Joseph Stalin had approved a secret protocol with Nazi Germany to partition the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The holiday is not only controversial for Belarusians, but it is also seen as offensive by the Poles. Minsk has been using every opportunity to annoy Warsaw in the last few years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minsk and Warsaw are at odds over allegations that Belarusian authorities facilitate illegal migration, and over the persecution of Polish minority leaders in Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ihar Sierhijenka, head of \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s administration, defended the 1939 Soviet invasion of Poland, noting that \u201cif German fascist troops marched as far as Minsk in 1939, events of the Great Patriotic War that followed could have unfolded in an absolutely different way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, if Stalin did not align himself with Adolf Hitler, Europe\u2019s history would have taken a different twist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyway, it took Nazi Germany days to capture Minsk in 1941 because of the Soviet leadership\u2019s miscalculations and reprisals against Red Army commanders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between 1939 and 1941, the Bolsheviks conducted a campaign of terror in Western Belarus, executing, imprisoning and deporting its residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarusian officials downplay the terror and Stalin\u2019s decision to align himself with Hitler to cast the Soviet Union in a more favorable light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lack of democratic mechanisms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Society cannot be monolithic. Political debate is commonplace in democracies. In Belarus, democratic mechanisms have eroded. The country has not had free and fair elections for decades. The government simply deprives all citizens who disagree with it of their civil rights. It seeks national unity through coercion. It is unwilling to compromise or engage with the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Its campaign of reprisals and complicity in the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as Russia\u2019s deployment of nuclear weapons to Belarus have only exacerbated polarization. Official holidays cannot mitigate the destructive toxicity of \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s policy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Belarusian government celebrated National Unity Day on September 17 amid deepening political polarization. Polarization instead of unity \u201cOur common task is to multiply the potential and glory of our native land, preserve its distinctness and international authority through dialogue and understanding\u201d Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka said in his message of greetings to the nation. The objective […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":2997,"template":"","rubric":[22],"class_list":["post-3172","longreads","type-longreads","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","rubric-theviewer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGovernment struggling to create illusion of national unity | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Belarusian government celebrated National Unity Day on September 17 amid deepening political polarization. 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