Belarus Faltering

Recent days has seen the increase of people waiting at the currency exchange in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. Some had been waiting for as long as three days, hoping to exchange the Belarus ruble to euros and dollars. Prices are rising in Belarus, and unfortunately, the ruble is losing value quickly. A mysterious subway bombing last week killing thirteen and wounding more than two hundred has produced a sense of forboding over Minsk, and may have shaken long time dictator Aleksandr Lukashenko's hold on the country. In a flashback to the year 1991, right before the fall of the Soviet Union, lines have formed outside currency exchanges, imported foods have begun disappearing from store shelves, and memories are surfacing of the shame and privation of shock therapy. Under normal circumstances, people in Belarus prefer foreign currencies for major transactions. Western governments have imposed sanctions on Mr. Lukashenko after obvious fraud in the last major election. Belarus must depend on hand outs to stay afloat, but recently Russia and the European Union have stopped giving aid. Belarus has lost about $2 billion in reserve money because Mr. Lukashenko used it in the election campaign, giving bonuses to state employees. Many wonder if Belarus will be the next country to fall to the Middle Eastern protest contagion. Margaret Nunne http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/18/world/europe/18belarus.html?ref=world