Tag: belarus

Briefings

Background Briefing: May 24, 2021

On By gram

 

A Desperate Move by Europe’s Last Dictator the Stalinist Thug Lukashenko

We begin with the hijacking of a passenger plane flying between two EU countries by the dictator of Belarus to capture a dissident journalist and speak with an expert on Belarus, David Marples, the Distinguished University Professor in the Department of History at the University of Alberta who currently serves as the president of the North American Association of Belarusian Studies and is the author of Understanding Ukraine and Belarus. He joins us to discuss the brazen actions of Lukashenko, the Stalinist thug who lost the last election then ramped up repression to the point any and all opposition is either abroad or in jail where they are beaten and tortured, or in the case of the journalist who was the target of the hijacking of a civilian airliner, face the prospect of the death penalty. With outrage expressed by European governments who are now avoiding Belarusian airspace and Ukraine banning Belarusian aircraft flying over its territory, we assess what kind of sanctions will be placed on Lukashenko and what they are likely to achieve.

 

Change Underway in Brazil to Sweep Out the Anti-Science Moron Bolsonaro

Then we examine political change underway in Brazil with the former leader of the country Lula now polling ahead of President Bolsonaro by 55% to 32% and speak with James Green, Professor of Modern Latin American History and Brazilian Studies as well as the past president of the Brazil Studies Association. He joins us to discuss the likelihood that the disastrous rule of Bolsonaro will end after elections next year unless Bolonaro’s friends in the military try to keep him in power.

 

The Philosopher/Author of After The Apocalypse

Then finally we speak with philosopher and author Srećko Horvat, the author of Poetry from the Future, Welcome to the Desert of Post-Socialism and The Radicality of Love about his latest book After the Apocalypse. We discuss how, since progress and catastrophe are two sides of the same coin, the combination of the climate crisis and nuclear risks presents humanity with a choice between radical reinvention of the world or its destruction.