Protests in Belarus

Belarus has been in political crisis for about a month. Mass protests erupted in response to the falsification of the Presidential elections. The Belarusian government claimed Lukashenka got 80% of the vote. The protests only grew when the state unleashed riot police on to peaceful protesters. A few weeks ago, Lukashenka’s rule seemed on the verge of collapse. But now things appear at a stalemate. For the larger context for these mass protests and what they mean, I turned to Elena Gapova for some insight. Guest: Elena Gapova is a Professor of Sociology at Western Michigan University specializing in gender, class, nation, and social movements in post-Soviet space. She is the authors of many articles and books. Her most recent book in Russian is The Classes of Nations: a Feminist Critique of Nation Building. Music: Rage Against the Machine, “Take the Power Back,” Rage Against the Machine, 1992.