White Revolution?

Posted on 3/26/2005 by Younghusband

Could the next of Russia’s children to leave home be Belarus? 15 Former Soviet Union states gained their independance in 1991, only to (mostly) be taken over by old-hand communist _nomenklatura_. In the past year we have seen 3 peaceful revolutions* where the people seemed to have learned to use their new-found civic rights after 10 years of “freedom.” It is too early to say, but take a look at what is currently happening in Minsk:

bq. “*Protesters clash with police in Belarus, 150 people arrested*”:http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=8&id=332026
Pro-democracy protesters clashed with police in Minsk near the palace of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on Friday and 150 protesters were arrested, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported. The police made the arrests after some 1,000 pro-democracy protesters reportedly tried to gather near the presidential palace, demanding democratic reform.

The question that needs to be asked is when will this “big bang” of people-powered peaceful revolution meet the “big bang” of externally administered system perturbation of the Middle East? The CIS has gotten the reform fever over vast distances. When will the Arabs catch it? Can they?

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*It is still yet to be determined whether Kyrgyzstan will end peacefully. As noted elsewhere, Bishkek is in an “orgy”:http://www.registan.net/?p=4849 of looting etc.

About Younghusband

Sir Francis Edward Younghusband (1863-1942) was a British explorer, army officer, military-political officer, and foreign correspondent born in India who led expeditions into Manchuria, Kashgar, and Tibet. He three times tried and failed to scale Mt. Everest and journeyed from China to India, crossing the Gobi desert and the Mustagh Pass (alt. c.19,000 ft/5,791 m) of the Karakoram mountain range in modern day Pakistan. Convinced of Russian designs on British interests in India, Younghusband proactively engaged in the nineteenth century spying and conflict over Central Asia between the British and the Russians known as the Great Game. "Younghusband" is a Canadian who has spent a number of years bouncing back and forth between his home country and Japan. Fluent in Japanese and English with experience in numerous other languages from Spanish to Georgian, Younghusband has travelled throughout Asia. He graduated with an MA from the War Studies Department at the Royal Military College of Canada, where he focussed on the Japanese oil industry and energy security issues. He has recently returned to Canada from Japan, and is working in the technology sector.
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