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Fair elections.

anovikov 5y ago
This is a pipe dream. If someone who isn't a Putin handpicked puppet gets elected, country will be taken over. Face reality: even the Belarusian KGB people are trained in Moscow (they don't have an academy of their own, just kept things the way they were in Soviet times). It's just a facade of independence. Whatever small bits of real independence exist, are only there of Lukashenka's personal ambitions to "own" the country - with him gone, nothing at all (and not even opinion of majority of people who are Russian at heard and see their independence as a historical fluke) will hold Putin from formally annexing the country.
- liaukovv 5y ago
  Cynicism and learned helplessness is the environment in which dictators thrive. You have to fight it.
  - inglor_cz 5y ago
    To make a point from a different perspective: some environments / countries / regions are so FUBARed by decades of bad governance that emigration is a much, much easier way out than trying to change the system from within and possibly risking prison, beating to death, serious consequences for your family etc. Cynicism and learned helplessness are just a description of what people actually live in there. Of course, then you have zombie regimes holding to power forever, because people who would challenge them most effectively are outside the country. Iran, Russia etc. Navalny returned to Russia precisely because he did not want to be seen as yet another emigree who utters advice from abroad. He will pay with his life for that courage and other people will think twice before becoming the next anti-regime icons. Authoritarian states are very good at intimidating people. What they cannot usually control is the economy, that is a major weakness in their armor. That is one of the reason why China concentrates so much on economic development.
- baybal2 5y ago
  > If someone who isn't a Putin handpicked puppet gets elected, country will be taken over If they get killed, then no. The dead don't win elections, even rigged ones.
- yxhuvud 5y ago
  It is a pipe dream until it isn't. And it isn't up to you to decide when it stops being a pipe dream. Do you realize that if everyone reasoned like you, then there would be no elections anywhere but instead every country would still be monarchies?
- sam_lowry_ 5y ago
  Belarusian KGB has an academy on its own, and it existed since after WWII: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%98%D0%BD%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%82%D1%83%D1%82_%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B9_%D0%B1%D0%B5%D0%B7%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%BD%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8_%D0%A0%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%BF%D1%83%D0%B1%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B8_%D0%91%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%83%D1%81%D1%8C https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%98%D0%BD%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8... KGB office in Minsk was always quite big and powerful in Soviet times. Fun fact 1: head of FSB Patrushev studied in that academy. Fun fact 2: Lee Harvey Oswald lived in Minsk under KGB control for a few years.

Fair elections.

This is a pipe dream. If someone who isn't a Putin handpicked puppet gets elected, country will be taken over. Face reality: even the Belarusian KGB people are trained in Moscow (they don't have an academy of their own, just kept things the way they were in Soviet times). It's just a facade of independence. Whatever small bits of real independence exist, are only there of Lukashenka's personal ambitions to "own" the country - with him gone, nothing at all (and not even opinion of majority of people who are Russian at heard and see their independence as a historical fluke) will hold Putin from formally annexing the country.

liaukovv 5y ago
Cynicism and learned helplessness is the environment in which dictators thrive. You have to fight it.
- inglor_cz 5y ago
  To make a point from a different perspective: some environments / countries / regions are so FUBARed by decades of bad governance that emigration is a much, much easier way out than trying to change the system from within and possibly risking prison, beating to death, serious consequences for your family etc. Cynicism and learned helplessness are just a description of what people actually live in there. Of course, then you have zombie regimes holding to power forever, because people who would challenge them most effectively are outside the country. Iran, Russia etc. Navalny returned to Russia precisely because he did not want to be seen as yet another emigree who utters advice from abroad. He will pay with his life for that courage and other people will think twice before becoming the next anti-regime icons. Authoritarian states are very good at intimidating people. What they cannot usually control is the economy, that is a major weakness in their armor. That is one of the reason why China concentrates so much on economic development.
baybal2 5y ago
> If someone who isn't a Putin handpicked puppet gets elected, country will be taken over If they get killed, then no. The dead don't win elections, even rigged ones.
yxhuvud 5y ago
It is a pipe dream until it isn't. And it isn't up to you to decide when it stops being a pipe dream. Do you realize that if everyone reasoned like you, then there would be no elections anywhere but instead every country would still be monarchies?
sam_lowry_ 5y ago
Belarusian KGB has an academy on its own, and it existed since after WWII: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%98%D0%BD%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%82%D1%83%D1%82_%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B9_%D0%B1%D0%B5%D0%B7%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%BD%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8_%D0%A0%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%BF%D1%83%D0%B1%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B8_%D0%91%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%83%D1%81%D1%8C https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%98%D0%BD%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8... KGB office in Minsk was always quite big and powerful in Soviet times. Fun fact 1: head of FSB Patrushev studied in that academy. Fun fact 2: Lee Harvey Oswald lived in Minsk under KGB control for a few years.