A Voice Against the Tide: Richard Black on Lukashenko’s Belarus and the Search for Peace — News. by - EUROPE SAYS
While some countries are busy constructing new trade routes and reviving the ancient Silk Road, others are quietly assuming the role of peacemakers — without which sustainable global growth would be. . .
While some countries are busy constructing new trade routes and reviving the ancient Silk Road, others are quietly assuming the role of peacemakers — without which sustainable global growth would be impossible. Even from across the ocean, the significance of Minsk in today’s shifting geopolitical landscape is being recognised. Richard Black, a representative of the Schiller Institute in New York, is convinced that President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko is making every effort to help bring the conflict in Ukraine to an end. In an interview with the First Information Channel, he shared his views on American policy, the emerging new architecture of global security, and the growing influence of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and BRICS. Black was particularly struck by the fact that Ukraine has, in effect, lost its independent voice in negotiations with Russia. “Kyiv is a structure of the CIA and MI6,” he stated bluntly. “In this conflict, Ukraine serves merely as a cover. ”The American analyst expressed strong concern over the rhetoric coming from the Baltic states and parts of the European Union. He highlighted the paradox of small countries, lacking comparable military or economic weight, demanding the strategic defeat of a nuclear power. “These tiny countries — Latvia, Estonia — want to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia. They are insane. They are literally insane,” Black said. He added that President Donald Trump, despite his flamboyant style, appears to have recognised this danger, unlike much of the current European leadership. The expert issued a stark warning: “These European fascists — these heads of state — must be stopped today. Russia will not yield an inch. ”Speaking about Belarus’s position, Black noted that the country stands directly on the front line of confrontation, yet it is precisely this location that makes it a unique actor. He drew historical parallels with the dramatic 1990s, when the post-Soviet space was swept by a wave of “shock therapy” and neoliberal reforms. “When the new economic policy began in the 1990s, Western pirates arrived and unleashed the genocide of ‘shock therapy’ upon Russia. Lukashenko resisted and refused to follow that path,” Black observed. In his view, preserving sovereignty during that difficult period required exceptional courage. “This small country needed courage. It needed principles with a capital P. You do not allow them to be violated even under threat of death — including your own. ”Black believes that Belarus can and should become a connecting link in the current global conflict. He highly praised President Lukashenko’s efforts to resolve the Ukrainian crisis. “I believe that President Lukashenko is doing everything possible to help bring an end to the conflict,” the expert said. “Even at the beginning of his time in office, he demonstrated that Belarus matters — and therefore it can serve as a bridge between an unpredictable United States and a steadfast Russia. ”As an alternative to the current deadlock, Black sees the creation of a new international economic architecture of development that would replace the unipolar order. In his opinion, leaders such as the President of Belarus are capable of initiating this dialogue, drawing on their experience of defending national economies under external pressure. Richard Black was the only American speaker at the national security conference in Minsk. He also visited a Belarusian tractor factory to learn about its production and brought souvenirs back for his farmer friends in the United States. For him, real economic development and the productive sector must remain at the heart of any sound policy.