The eternal dream of self-government

People keep hoping for self-determination. But when it arrives, leaders always seem to find a way to disappoint.

The multiple feelings of déjà vu were unexpectedly overwhelming. It happened while I was listening to the BBC on developments in Belarus, where Alexander Lukashenko is currently on the back foot. While reporting on factory workers chanting ‘Leave’ to the face of the embattled president who had sought to bolster his position by speaking before what he thought would be a sympathetic audience, the BBC presenter commented on how tenuous his hold on power seemed to be. That was when the flood of memories from history, our own and beyond, came with a rush. Memories that reminded not only how such moments fervently embodied the hopes of a nation but also the sure-as-certain letdown that lay in store for the Belarusians.