Foreign Digest: Belarus, Bolivia, South Africa, Germany and Russia

Belarus: The presidential election earlier this month in Belarus was a farce, as the opposition had boycotted it because of restrictions on liberty by the longtime Belarusian dictator that preclude free and fair elections. The results of the election four years ago in the former Soviet Republic were fraudulent, which triggered protests that were repressed with violence and mass arrests, a massive refugee exodus, and economic sanctions by the United States and its allies. Belarus, as a member of what I call the Axis of Rogues, is an ally of Russia and allowed Russian troops to invade Ukraine from its territory to commit aggression against Belarus’ southern neighbor. Bolivia: There were protests last week in Bolivia against mining contracts by the leftist Bolivian government that are perceived as favorable to Russia and Communist China. South Africa: After the passage of a law last month enabling the South African Government to expropriate land not in use or for public benefit, Donald Trump announced last week that the U.S. would grant asylum status to Afrikaners (South Africans descended from Dutch colonists), even though South Africa is a relatively free country and the whites, including Afrikaners, are part of the South African leftist-led coalition Government that includes centrists and conservatives. In contrast, Trump denies refugee status to people living in tyrannies, including those personally at risk of persecution, such as Afghans who worked with us, as I explain in my last post. He liberally interprets the fear of white Protestants of persecution in free States as credible, such as during his first term when he granted asylum to a German family, but not to non-whites, Catholics (including white Hispanics), or Muslims who follow the law and seek asylum on American soil. Trump’s travel ban had prohibited Syrian Christians (Catholic and Orthodox) from fleeing tyranny, war and Islamist terrorism. Bigotry and demagoguery that encourages xenophobia are Trump’s motivations, more than any supposed security or ecnonmic concerns. Germany: The Vice President of the United States, a Trumpist Republican, condemned immigration to Europe in his address to the Munich Security Conference late this week and disgracefully met with the leaders of the anti-migrant Alternative for Germany (AFD), the largest neo-Nazi German party, thereby legitimizing them in the name of the U.S. The week before, the conservative opposition party supported AFD’s anti-migration bill in the German parliament that was defeated, which was disturbing to many Germans and other Westerners. The center-right party, which is leading the polls for the federal parliamentary elections in September, together with a conservative Bavarian partner, but not enough for the bloc to win a majority on its own, was forced after its shameful parliamentary tactic that legitimized the neo-Nazis, to make it clear that it would never form a government with the AFD, with which they would have the required majority to form a government. Vance had encouraged Germans politicians to work with all parties, including the AFD, but the conservative party condemned the AFD’s repugnant views and historical revisionism. Nazis and other fascists have been strictly kept out of power in Germany since the Second World War, in which the totalitarian Nazis (the German Socialist Party) were defeated by the Allies and removed from power. Germany is a U.S. ally as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Russia: Russians defied threats of persecution by the regime of tyrant Vladimir Putin by commemorating the first anniversary today of the death of the leading proponent of freedom in Russia, Alexei Navalny. The center-right political leader died in a remote Russian prison under harsh conditions as a political prisoner. Russia has prosecuted people just for placing flowers at his tomb, as dozens did today, among other forms of protest. American and other Western Ambassadors also did. Putin, an ex-Soviet intelligence officer trying to restore the Soviet Union/Russian Empire, came to power through elections a quarter century ago, but has usurped elective representative government with increasing authoritarianism.