Worrisome One Off In Eastern Europe

Something very odd happened this week-end in Eastern Europe. A plane was traveling from Athens Greece to Vilnius Lithuania, when it was forced to land in Minsk, Belarus. (Friends connection; Minsk was where Phoebe's boyfriend had to go to study, back when it was Minsk, Soviet Union.)

Now this particular Ryan Air flight had a Belarus dissident / opposition politician on it, one Roman Protasevich. And even though the flight was between two sovereign European Union countries, Greece and Lithuania, it was forced down in Belarus, a notorious dictatorship allied with Russia supposedly for a bomb.

Once on the ground, all the luggage was taken off and no bomb found (no surprise there). But dissident journalist Roman Protasevich was taken into custody. Three other men, assumed to be Belarusian KGB agents left with him (as did 1 unrelated Greek man, who was going to Minsk anyway and decided to exit as long as they were there).

This caused no small amount of consternation to European officials. As a rule, airspace is considered to be out bounds to things like this. Europe has cut off Belarus from flights and money. This probably does nothing to Belarus, as they are dependent on Russia for aid, military support and money. But it may push the EU closer together. 

It also should worry Americans since both Greece and Lithuanian are in NATO - although Ireland, where Ryan Air is based, is not. If this results in any border skirmish with Poland or Lithuania, we could be drug in. It is a reminder that international "norms" can be broken just like national laws or rules. When we start ignoring some rules, other people will also ignore the rules they don't like. 

And, in Russia, Belarus has a friend big enough to insulate them against problems.