Belarus remains autocratic

Shortly after the EU introduced new sanctions against Belarus more than 30 states agreed on an aid programme for the country's civilian population at a donor's conference held in Warsaw on Wednesday. The online newspaper Ir is pessimistic about it chances of success: "Like all dictators Lukashenko has one primary goal: to stay in power at any cost. No matter what you may say about him he has an infallible political instinct and has always been able to sense what direction the wind is blowing and position himself accordingly. For more than ten years he courted Russia's favour by promising to form a union, then he turned to the EU and declared his willingness to take part in the 'Eastern Partnership' programme - with the result that it lifted its 2006 sanctions. ... Now we are back at square one and no one should have any illusions that these measures will influence the domestic situation in Belarus, or that Lukashenko will liberalise his regime. His position is stable enough ... and the forces that could demand democracy are too weak."

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