Irish Professor on the Situation in Belarus: Victory May Be Close

The strength of the people should never be underestimated.

In an interview with Radio Svaboda, Donnacha Ó Beacháin, professor at Dublin City University, told why the situation in Belarus can change very quickly.

- The most difficult moments are often before dawn. This is what we experienced in Ireland. As you know, Ireland has been a scene of conflict for many years. I grew up in Ireland, where there was an ongoing conflict. And I never thought that we would be able to break out of this circle, but we did it. And now there is peace and good governance on the island of Ireland.

And I've seen it in other countries as well, that things can change for the better very quickly. I am old enough to remember the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe. In 1989, I visited East Germany, ruled by a monstrous regime led by Erich Honecker, and I remember how the Komsomol there told me that communism and the German Democratic Republic would exist for hundreds of years. Now we can look back and know that that regime has only a few months left.

And it really amazed me. I realized that one should be skeptical about the official rhetoric of the government about how strong it is and never underestimate the strength of the people. You should never underestimate the ability of people acting together to ultimately always defeat those who try to oppress them.

This is what I would say: do not give up, because the struggle can be long, but victory can also be very close. You need to understand the challenges you have to face. Sometimes some mistakes can be understood only by looking back, but, as I said, you need to stay united, focused, as well as to keep the big picture in mind, look at the main goal.