This is Democracy – Episode 116: Protests in Belarus

Jeremi hosts a roundtable discussion about the protests in Belarus

Zachary sets the scene with his poem, ”Speaking of the Hurricane.”

Nataly (Natalia) Yagur, born and raised in Belarus, has been a US resident since 2010. She holds a BS in Economics from Belarusian State University and an MS in Statistics from Texas A&M University. She has been the Community Coordinator for Belarusians in Austin since 2014 and is a Lead for Belarusians in Texas since 2017. 

Michael has an MA in Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. His research focuses on the Lukashenko regime's use of anti-western propaganda, especially propaganda invoking national trauma connected to the devastation Belarus experienced during the Second World War. He lived in Belarus for an extended period of time. 

Matthew Orr is pursuing dual master’s degrees in Global Policy Studies and Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. He received his B.A. in Russian language and literature from George Washington University and lived in Russia for three years, including a year teaching English through the Fulbright program. He is a co-host and a producer of The Slavic Connexion podcast at UT.

Thomas Rehnquist is a cyber security fellow at the Strauss Center. Tom is in his third year at the University of Texas at Austin, completing a dual Master’s in Russian Studies and Global Policy. Tom’s attraction to cybersecurity buds from the growing use of non-military levers to conduct geo-political warfare, a strategy assumed to proliferate in the coming years. Tom is a co-host and producer of the The Slavic Connexion podcast at UT.