Another round of protests this weekend in Belarus. Tens of thousands protesting and 900+ arrested/detained. It does not appear that there were the 100,000+ protestors that used to show up; and it does not appear that the strike, which was called for on 26 October, has taken hold. So for now, it appears that Lukashenko has the advantage.
You can build a throne with bayonets , but it’s difficult to sit on it.
Boris Yeltsin
— Televised speech (4 October 1993), as quoted in A Democracy of Despots (1995) by Donald Murray. p. 8
Now, earlier versions of similar quotes have been attributed to Tallyrand (1754-1838) or Joseph Bonaparte (1768-1844) when he was the King of Spain (1808-1813). But, as we have seen in Syria and many other places, people can remain in power for quite some time after suppressing a popular revolt.
Meanwhile, small protests continue in Khabarovsk (200-500 people at a rally on 14 November) and larger protests continue in Tbilisi, Georgia (thousands on 14 November). These are much smaller than before.
Finally, Russia has become the peacekeepers for the latest Nagorno-Kharabakh conflict, deploying some 2,000 troops into this region of the Caucasus for at least the next five years.
P.S. The picture of the detained protestor is from last month, I just happen to like it (“Beauty and the Beast”). She was identified over twitter (@A_Sannikov) as Natalia Petukhova. The arresting officer has not been identified. Picture came from @svirsky1 via @XSovietNews