Dazhynki or "Manafort's Box"

Sensation!

It turns out that Western politicians lobby interests of criminal regimes, and it occurs in the world of democracy and respect to human rights. And it is done for money!

It never happened before, and yet again...

If not for Special Counsel Mueller, no one would have thought it was possible. But this is just a single case, isn't it? This is the story only of Yanukovich, isn't it? Oh, well, of Putin. But everything's clear with Putin. He is the core of evil, and all other poor things from the collapsed Union have been trying to break free from his grip pretending to be dictators and pretending humiliating their people.

All these Lukashenkas, Aliyevs, Rakhmonovs, as well as Karimov and Niyazov who laid down lives for democracy, stand for European values; and their regimes are just forms of fighting for these values.

"Manafort's Box" gradually revealed by Bob Mueller will open up more surprising facts and names, but it does not bring us anything new. The scheme practiced by Manafort is well-known. After the introduction of a huge amount of dirty money and services on the political arena this scheme has become highly lucrative. The work for the Kremlin is the most profitable, but little business for "dictators' cooperative" is also suitable. One can be paid not only with money, but caviar, or in kind.

Manafort and Belarus

We must do justice to Manafort - he worked hard and seriously. He created an extensive network of lobbyists, analysts, journalists. In the story with Yanukovich, it was veiled with noble objectives: to bring Ukraine closer to Europe, and to "tear it off” from Russia. Does it remind you of anything?

It is possible that at least in the first stage many of them tried hard and wished a better fate for Ukraine. However, unwillingness of Yanukovich to break away from the Kremlin which offered him greater personal enrichment were so obvious that the issue of sincerity became irrelevant. The lobbyist scheme turned to be the one planned: cynical and money-making.

"European Center for a Modern Ukraine" was created in Brussels to coordinate actions of lobbyists in Europe and the USA. It was created by Yanukovich's people with the help of European assistants, but it worked under control of Manafort. An eye-catching name, sufficient financing, including money of Ukrainian oligarchs, and now the PR campaign of the Yanukovich's clan acquires the European registration.

Again, does it remind you of anything? "Office for Democratic Belarus" financed by several reputable foundations from democratic states appeared long before the Ukrainian center in Brussels. The "Office" did not hide its leanings to Lukashenka's regime, and it finally "opened up" after elections of the year 2010. The regime runs rampant, hundreds of people are jailed, and the Brussels office actively lobbies the regime. It still exists, and it's quite consequent in bleaching of the regime. However, nobody cares. First, Manafort, Yanukovich and Putin should face resistance.

The Hapsburg group is one of the hottest sensations of the "Manafort's Box". It turns out that former and maybe not only former top officials of Europe worked for Manafort and advocated interests of Yanukovich's clan. Surprise! As if there were no Schroeder and Berlusconi, who openly lobbied Putin not forgetting to pat Lukashenka and other accomplices on the shoulder.

Manafort named his VIP group "the Hapsburgs". He deliberately used the alternative writing of the name of a well-known family. Lukashenka lobbyists belong to another category. He does not deserve Habsburgs. He is likely served by Dazhynki-goers (Dazhynki – ridicullous propaganda harvest fest in Belarus). Like district officials with faces swollen with thoughts. It's not a secret, either. Jamestown Foundation has been the most vivid example of such “Dazhynki”. It devotedly tells lies about the flourishing regime and a radical opposition in Belarus.

Speaking frankly, it's even awkward to analyze schemes and active lobbyists of Lukashenka in Europe and the USA. It has recently been done so openly and blatantly that the word "analysis" is not suitable here. It would be better to say "protocol".

How It Works

And there are things to record. Cynical international lobby schemes of regimes rely on safe and fake representatives of opposition, analytical centers, independent media, sociologists, the civil society within this or that dictatorship. And Lukashenka's regime is good at it. It uses such dirty methods as blackmailing, intimidation, threats, bribery (rarely because of greed). The regime has managed to create the fake group which obediently serves criminals in power. You may call yourself a liberal, democratic, or human rights or independent media - there is an open road for you in Europe.

European lobbyists do not care about the real situation in Belarus, they need their lies about democratic Lukashenka to be confirmed. And here liars from Belarus appear.

The EU High Representative Federica Mogherini somehaow didn’t come up with an idea to invite, for example, Mikalai Statkevich and to wonder about the reason of the most massive protests since the Perestroika times near the borders of the EU last year and why the authorities went rampant again. Or to ask Henadz Fyadynich about this insane operation against independent Trade Unions. And to wonder what assistance they need. Should sanctions be reimposed? She does not care, because it's Manafort. However, “Dazhynki” played its part and made lobbyists cry about Lukashenka as "guarantor of independence", about his struggle with Putin's regime, about the damage inflicted by sanctions.

By the way, by Lukashenka special services' behest, there has been an accepted terminology and basic principles of lobbying.

First, Lukashenka can be called only "the authoritarian leader", not "the dictator". Democratic countries have to fight the dictator, or just pretend that they fight them. The autocrat is another story. Such a pretty misunderstanding, which is about to understand what a happiness is to live under democracy.

Second, never recognize that Lukashenka has had no support in Belarus for 20 years already. Anyway, one should state that Lukashenka would have won the fairest elections, that people support him and he is a strong politician.

Other statements come from these two postulates. “Dazhynki” and lobbyists especially like to reason about weakness and patchwork of opposition activities, as if they did not contribute to the current state of the opposition. They also are fond of talking about necessity to preserve stability in Belarus, allegedly vital for the stability in the region. Surprisingly, even after West-2017 military exercises, “Dazhynki” pursue the same policy and undermine their own safety.

Mueller for Europe

Massive resonance of "the Manafort case" is that Robert Mueller reveals the scheme of lobbying criminals in the Western world consequently and systematically, simply put, the destruction of Western security scheme. The Western press actively writes about Manafort, but somehow it does not rush to open the same lobbying abscesses in Europe. And there are enough of them.

Probably, it is time to think about the special investigation of extraordinary love to dictators in Europe. One should wonder why the relentless struggle for democracy and human rights requiring enormous funding from European citizens results into lush life and multiplication of dictators and dictatorships.

Maybe it will become clear then why former NATO Secretary General Rasmussen suddenly started insisting on Lukashenka's "peacekeepers" in Donbas.

Or why Commissioner Hahn ignores the letter of editor-in-chief of Charter-97 Natallia Radzina about inadmissibility of blocking of independent media in Belarus. By the way, the letter signed by leaders of the Belarusian opposition.

Andrei Sannikov, Coordinator of the European Belarus Campaign