[ajuc]

Usually you can't realistically vote the dictator out long before they invade somebody. For example Łukaszenko in Belarus made it impossible to vote him out in 90s already. Putin in early 00s.

Russians and Belarusians made their mistakes back then. Now it's just a consequence of not fighting for their democracy strongly enough when it was still possible.

This is the thing that kills democracy - it is taken away from you very slowly, step by step, and at any given moment it looks like it's not a big deal. And then when it's a big deal - you realize it doesn't matter what people think. You can't change anything.

In my country (Poland) the fight is still going on, but I'm not optimistic.

[ethbr0]

Let's not forget Hungary making it impossible to vote Orbán out ~2012.

[ymolodtsov]

Are you saying people Belarus didn't fight hard enough in 2020?