In Belarus Social Media Can Change the Balance of Power in Favor of the People

Protestors in Minsk Face Off Against Government Security Forces

Political developments in Belarus remain deadlocked if not outright chaotic as massive protests against the self-anointed president Lukashenko continue.

Today, Lukashenko is in Sochi looking for support from President Putin of Russia to prop up his government because Lukashenko refuses to concede electoral defeat to Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who likely won the August 9 vote for president as an upstart candidate when her husband, who was one of several declared candidates, was throw in jail.

But the point of today's blog is not politics.

The point today is that when a government loses legitimacy and tries to retain power by force, as is occurring in Belarus daily, the government has an overwhelming advantage because it has the levers of government at its disposal, including command of the police and the military.  The government can also control the traditional media.

However, social media has given the extraordinary courage of Belarusian people a powerful weapon against the violent suppression of the Lukashenko government.

There are many ways in which social media help.  Foremost is exposing the brutal tactics of the government for all Belarusians and the world to see.

Social media can also serve more specific purposes.  It can expose the methods the government uses and the crimes it commits.  It can expose the individual actors and the roles they play.

Among the security forces, are men dressed in green uniforms and masks without any identifying insignia.  Their anonymity enables them to commit crimes without fear of consequences.  However, protestors have begun to rip the masks off the "green men".  Social media then makes it possible to identify the individuals, shame them, and hold them responsible for their crimes.  Many believe the "green men" are actually Russian security forces brought to Belarus to help Lukashenko suppress the protests.

Also in the street, and closely associated with the "green men", are men dressed as civilians who act with the security forces to suppress the protests.  These men seem to have considerable authority.  They move about freely with the other security forces and sometimes give orders to the "green men".  They haven't gotten as much attention, but exposing who they are will expose a lot about the government's methods.  I already drew attention to these actors in my Twitter feed and I am reproducing it below to draw attention to the need to identify who these actors are.

Social media can change the balance of power in favor of the legitimate power of the people.  The courageous people of Belarus have shown they deserve nothing less.