141–148 of 148 posts
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> The thing about Belarus is not that laws change at whim. They are not. Lukashenko is a dictator. Being able to change laws at a whim is a defining characteristic of dictatorship.
By that definition Lukashenko is not a dictator. The protest the last spring resulting in reversal of his decree shows that he has constrains and cannot change laws at whim.
The blockchain hype seems to have some parallels to the Second Life[1] one. The technology isn't quite there, the valuations are immense, and it all seems like a real life implementation of a Neal Stephenson novel. Second Life doesn't seem to have gone anywhere but it doesn't mean cryptocurrencies won't as well. From the outside they do look just as niche and generally lacking in use cases. [1] https://en.wikipedia.o…
Your observations are more due to how humans adopt new technology (speculation, early adoption, etc.) than because of similarities between Second Life and blockchain technology. Second Life has very limited utility; it's a video game. Blockchains are the result of protocols that could be used to do work.
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"some Belarusian opposition members" you mean the ones who Lukashenko jailed and then released on a condition they work for him? I have been reading this guy for many years and tend to believe him more than the "Belarusian opposition journalists" (Belarusian opposition can exist only outside of Belarus or inside mother earth).
So, you believe that Minsk jail looks like Osvencim and populated with Gestapo cops then? I don't need opposition journalists to tell that his story full of shit, I can see misconceptions myself. F.e. he claims that you not allowed to read books in jail and I know for a fact it's not true. What I think happened, after he was released by Azerbaijan he decided to make as much profit out of this story by generated hype…
The point of sources is to separate reality from what some guy on the internet thinks happened. I believe you are being deluded or disengenuoid in this thread.
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So, you believe that Minsk jail looks like Osvencim and populated with Gestapo cops then? I don't need opposition journalists to tell that his story full of shit, I can see misconceptions myself. F.e. he claims that you not allowed to read books in jail and I know for a fact it's not true. What I think happened, after he was released by Azerbaijan he decided to make as much profit out of this story by generated hype…
> What I think happened The point of sources is to separate reality from what some guy on the internet thinks happened. I believe you are being deluded or disengenuoid in this thread.
Cool country. Is the 11 year old president son still wearing a general uniform? Come on. This regulation movement is made only to have bigger control over the people. Nothing more.
Ding, ding ding. We have a winner! I think people in the West who do not have to experience having one guy as "president" for 20+ years are either naive or ignorant of how these autocrats or kleptocrats operate. --- Fun fact: Belarus still has the KGB and a lot of Soviet era imagery on emblems and such.
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Just like issuing executive orders, right?
You're confusing actions taken by the executive branch with actions taken by the legislative branch. For a dictator like Lukashenko there is no difference. In democratic states they are quire different.
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The thing about Belarus is not that laws change at whim. They are not. According a lawyer I know from Belarus in courts small and not so small cases are considered rather fairly. One in principle can count that in a daily life rule of laws applies and the level of corruption is not that bad. But the moment your case is perceived by authorities as political or somebody with power finds your business interesting, one g…
> But the moment your case is perceived by authorities as political or somebody with power finds your business interesting, one gets BIG troubles. It is quite typical for many countries and Belarus is definitely not the worst one in this sense. For example, the situation in Latvia and Estonia is much worse because everything is ok and fair but only until you have "right" ethnic origin (citizen of 1st class) - otherwi…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> But the moment your case is perceived by authorities as political or somebody with power finds your business interesting, one gets BIG troubles. It is quite typical for many countries and Belarus is definitely not the worst one in this sense. For example, the situation in Latvia and Estonia is much worse because everything is ok and fair but only until you have "right" ethnic origin (citizen of 1st class) - otherwi…
To claim that the Latvia and Estonia, two of the most open liberal democracies in the world, are in any way worse than the totalitarian dictatorship Belarus is totally ridiculous. You're either being disingenuous, or you've totally bought into Putin's propaganda.