We’ve all seen this movie before. It’s called the Aleksandr Lukashenka shuffle.
When the authoritarian Belarusian leader’s relations with Russia get stormy, he begins flirting with the West, only to return anew to Vladimir Putin’s embrace.
We’ve seen it for years. Everybody has always known what he’s up to. And everybody played along with his little two-step.
But now, with reports that Russia is seriously considering an “Anschluss”—or formal annexation of Belarus—the game seems a lot more consequential, and a lot more dangerous.
Joining Brian Whitmore on the latest Power Vertical are CEPA Editor in Chief Donald N. Jensen and special guest Michael Carpenter, Senior Director of the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement.
