By Rafal Barnaś and Dr. Jakub Krzemiński
Warsaw / September 1, 2020
Today, as exactly 81 years ago, the world faces the threat of war at the European theater. As then, the two dictatorial regimes of the Nazi type, facing the prospect of leaving the historical scene forever, are ready to commit genocide of their own peoples, as well as of other peoples, provoking a military conflict in the very center of Europe.
On August 29, violating all the norms of international law, the Russian dictator Putin said that he “considers the presidential elections in Belarus valid”. This impudent statement is a direct challenge to the international community. At the same time, the world community, as in August 1939, is criminally passive in the face of a direct threat to the world order from the Kremlin military junta, which supports the same in Belarus.
Russian publicist Lylia Shevtsova believes this passivity is the result of fears of Western leaders to contact a country with nuclear weapons. However, the policy of "appeasing the aggressor" was carried out in 1938-1939, when there were no nuclear weapons. Therefore, the matter is completely different.
1. The political system of democratic states is overloaded with bureaucratic procedures that make it impossible to quickly respond to threats and challenges of dictatorial regimes that are not burdened with such procedures.
2. In the West today there are no leaders like Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, strong-willed and able to single-handedly make decisions in accordance with their authority.
3. Like 81 years ago, the leaders of the West pretend that they do not understand the obvious fact: the genocide of the Belarusian people by the regimes of Putin and Lukashenko will inevitably develop into the genocide of their peoples, as it grew through the fault of the regimes of Stalin and Hitler.
4. A negotiating mentality based on common sense and seeking benefits, compromises is useless and even vicious when it comes to dictatorial regimes headed by dictators with officially confirmed psychiatric diagnoses like Lukashenka.
Thus, the diplomacy of the world community, instead of overcoming the crisis peacefully, can lead to a completely opposite result. If during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 there were those in power in the USSR who knew from their own experience what war was, then mentally disabled dictators Putin and Lukashenko have a delusional belief that in the event of a war they will find themselves in safe places. Moreover, the behavior of Lukashenka, running around with a machine gun on the territory of one of his palaces, speaks of absolute insanity, as well as accusations of neighboring countries of "preparing for a military invasion." There is a delusional symptom complex similar to Korsakov's delirium.
The wave of repressions by the Lukashenka regime in Belarus and Putin's inflammatory statements are indisputable evidence of the complete ineffectiveness of diplomatic tactics in relation to the Nazi military juntas, which understand exclusively the language of force, above all, military. Not recognizing this fact means repeating the fatal actions of Daladier and Chamberlain.
The Belarusian people faced the threat of mass terror and genocide. The peoples of Europe and the world are facing the threat of war and genocide. In these conditions, the lack of correction of the fatal mistakes of 81 years ago by the Western community can turn into what August 23, 1939 turned into September 1 and 17 of the same year.
Peace can be achieved only by tough forceful pressure on those who seek to unleash a war. And there is no paradox in this.
PS. The deprivation by the Lukashenka regime of the accreditation of journalists of all Western media testifies to the justice of all that has been said above. This happened on August 29, right after Putin's provocative statement, which leaves no doubt about the goals of both dictators, as well as the worst possible consequences. This usually happens before massive repressions and hostilities. In case of further passivity of the USA, EU and NATO, the consequences may be most catastrophic.