The Baltic States, Poland, and the protests in Belarus: the case of for the unconditional love?
ENThe dubious August 2020 election results in Belarus have caused international condemnation and domestic unrest in Minsk. The anti-Lukashenko protests in the capital of Belarus were met with militarized repression, incarceration of the opposition leaders, and exile for opposition leaders such as Sviatlana Tsihanouskaya. In this shifting paradigm, the Baltic States and Poland have played a crucial role. First, they have reinforced the democratic opposition by hosting and accepting them in their countries in order to alleviate the humanitarian impact of the government suppression of protests. Second, the Baltic States and Poland have assisted by leading debates about the necessary steps to stop violence and promote democratic transition in the neighbouring Belarus. This paper explains the reasons for the Baltic States and Poland to support the democratic transition in Belarus by leading debates on sanctions and policies in Europe and the region, concluding that this advocacy has been critical for the opposition, prefiguring any concrete policy from the EU.
