Carnegie Europe
Russia’s steady development of military capabilities on the ground, in the air, and at sea has enhanced its overall military posture in the region. This experience, and lack of resistance from NATO, is likely to enhance Russia’s military posture and ambitions outside the Mediterranean.
EU sanctions will not change Belarusian leader Lukashenko’s determination to cling to power, but they send an important signal. To avoid isolating ordinary citizens, the EU must combine sanctions with enhanced support for Belarusian civil society.
It took the hijacking of a plane and the kidnapping of a journalist to shake Europe out of its complacency over Belarus. Beyond sanctions, the EU’s response should include supporting Belarusian society and reconsidering Nord Stream 2.
The EU can engage and show solidarity with protesters against the Lukashenko regime in Belarus by providing its civil society with coaching, technology transfers, and financial resources.
A new survey shows that Belarusian society has become much more politicized since the beginning of protests in August 2020. Western actors must seize on this opportunity to engage with ordinary Belarusians.
Since August 2020, hundreds of thousands have taken to the street in Belarus to oppose Alexander Lukashenko’s regime. A new survey of 2,000 Belarusians reveals their attitudes toward the ongoing protests.
The EU has approved a new global human rights sanctions regime. But will national interests continue to prevent the union from effectively protecting people in places like Belarus, China, and Russia?
Smaller EU countries are punching above their weight in defending values and supporting pro-democracy forces in the EU’s neighborhood. They are preparing for the day after in Minsk and Moscow.
Judy Dempsey will be joined by Riccardo Alcaro, Tanja A. Börzel, and Linas Linkevičius for a discussion on the challenges and opportunities in the EU’s eastern and southern neighborhoods and the opportunities that the new Biden administration will bring about in the region.
The storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump should be enough of a warning. EU leaders must speak up about the fragility of their own democracy and democratic institutions in Europe.
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