Belarus threatens to pull out of Russia integration deal over subsidy row

[William Weehours]

Source: Reuters

NOVEMBER 17, 2019 / 6:56 AM

MINSK (Reuters) - Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on Sunday threatened to pull out of signing an integration deal with Russia next month if Moscow failed to resolve their dispute over energy subsidies.

Russia has propped up its traditional ally with loans and subsidies to keep Belarus in its political orbit but now plans to phase these out to lessen the burden on its economy.

That has strained ties at the same time as Lukashenko has sought to improve relations with the West.

Belarus previously said that it stands to lose hundreds of millions of dollars a year from changes to Russian tax policy and has tried to negotiate compensation. Russia says the subsidies cost its exchequer billions of dollars.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-belarus-election-lukashenko/belarus-threatens-to-pull-out-of-russia-integration-deal-over-subsidy-row-idUSKBN1XR0CD?il=0

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Nice knowin' ya, Alexander. On second thought, you're just an asshole dictator about to be consumed by another asshole dictator, so good riddance.

[Igel]

1. Focus less on the person and more on what or even why.

And to say that while things could be far better, it could also be worse. While a strongman, Lukashenka was also walking a tightrope when it came to more than a few things.

He held off on having a strong opinion over Russian involvement in Ukraine. It was clear he was opposed. It was also clear that to be opposed would invite the same.

It was the same with his language policy. Belorus' is an ethnostate. It was set up largely on linguistic and cultural boundaries, with, like Ukraine, a few nods to history. During the enlightened period of socialism when the USSR's language policy was deemed great (just look at all the liberties and rights in the constitution!) in practice during the 70 years of Soviet socialist rule Belorusian (like Ukraine) suffered. It was the same thing as happened to Czech under German rule, but since it was part of an enlightened government it was obviously completely different. Note that the same was true in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

The language policy was going to make Belorusian a required language in schools and make it coequal with Russian. Equality was seen as oppression, and there was talk that this was a prelude to banning Russian. In other words, the same tripe that was the run-up to what happened in Ukraine. Lukashenka saw the writing on the wall and backed down. Better limited autonomy under a strongman than no autonomy under a "strongerman".

He had the same issues with a lot of the energy policy that he was stuck with, with the economics of having a Soviet-era manufacturing base up against what amounts to a strong EU tariff on any imported goods--"here are our standards? Oh, it's prohibitive given your standards to meet them? Well, then, I guess you're shut out by not making the massive investment that's needed. Even though your territory does abut ours, no, you can't trade with us. Too bad, so sad." And that was before the sanctions that hit BR because of its sometimes forced trade relations with Russia. Consider it Finlandized.

This doesn't mitigate his attitude towards the Poles that stayed when Stalin (and Truman/Churchill's connivance) shifted BR's borders west, and the rather intense ethnic persecution that Poles suffered in the early-mid '00s. Nor his repression of political enemies or the way he's distorted the BR economy. But things are seldom as simplistic as they seem.

[CanonRay]

2. Empire is expensive

[paleotn]

4. Putiy forgot that part.

The Soviet Union didn't collapse due to ideological revolution. It was simply economically unsustainable. So are quasi-capitalist economies that are one trick ponies. John McCain smiles for the grave....Russia IS simply a gas station masquerading as a county. As the price of oil goes, so goes the Russian Federation. Unless they can somehow legitimately monetize cyber hacking or nuclear weapons, they really only have one thing going for them.

[SunSeeker]

3. There is no honor among thieves, Alexander. nt