Authorities Manifesting Many Symptoms Of Banal Panic

There is something to be nervous about, and even to discard the last remnants of diplomacy.

Makei's interview, in which he called Lithuania a “pygmy” and, in general, somehow very frankly took a swipe at the Western countries seems the most interesting political event of recent days.

Naturally, if you look at it in a broader context.

Official Minsk, Belarusian society, and emigration are waiting for decisions on sanctions. The resolution of the European Parliament, adopted last week, of course, is not an official decision, but it is clearly a very transparent warning about what may well happen - a whole list of very painful measures is set, including disconnection from SWIFT. The fact that something like this was recorded in a document of one of the EU bodies, albeit at a declarative level, is a very subtle hint that the situation has reached the level at which, in principle, everything is possible.

Inside Belarus, no matter how the propagandists swagger, there are many signs of banal panic. Just take Azaronak's attacks alone. However, Azaronak is the real “talking head”, and what he conveys is clearly a general mood.

But Makei is not a propagandist, he is a hardened official, and in order for such a person to start talking that kind of delirium, officially still being the head of Belarusian diplomacy, something very serious must happen. And, not only that - “something serious was happening”, it is necessary that neither he himself, nor the system in which he works as a whole, could in any way influence this seriously. Only under such conditions, the head of the Foreign Ministry, even of such a country as Belarus, can afford such rhetoric: with a full and clear understanding that no one will talk to you anyway, and it is possible, as they say, to go head downhill.

Belarus is on the world agenda. The situation in our country was discussed at the G-7 summit. This, of course, is a great honor, but in this case it is better for the authorities to put this word in quotation marks. A special piquancy here is that the situation in Belarus was discussed in the block of discussions dedicated to Russia. However, this is not all. US President Biden said that he would discuss the Belarusian “air piracy” with the Baltic countries. Moreover, Belarus will one way or another be on the agenda at the meeting of the American leader with Putin. And all this is a rather serious chain, since, as can be seen from the first point (discussion of Belarus in a bloc with Russia), the world's leading countries on the eve of the meeting between Biden and Putin had agreed on their positions.

When you are discussed in the world not even at every corner, but specifically at meetings and events of the mighty of this world, and the general tone of these discussions is not the most pleasant, it hurts. When it all comes down to the fact that you become a potential subject of a deal, and judging by the attention of world leaders to Belarus in the context of the general policy in the Russian region, this may well be, it hurts twice as much. When no one asks you at the same time, it’s thrice as hurtful.

Internal discontent can be extinguished by force, using financial and other resources to keep the punitive machine. Sanctions can also be resisted, having such a resource as popular support - in this situation, they can even mobilize society. When the situation is such that there is no support inside, the power rests on force, fueled by external cash flows, which are about to be blocked, and the “last ally” can any minute come to terms with the enemies ...

There is something to be nervous about, and even to disregard the last remnants of diplomacy.

Piotr Kuzniatsou, Telegram