The West's leaders agree that democracy is under attack. How they can defend it is less obvious
CNN
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's willful manipulation of migrants, enabling their easy passage to and through his country toward the border of the European Union, is a classic assault on democracy by an autocrat who knows that any attempt to fight back risks undermining the bloc's sacred values.
Lukashenko denies the condemnation made by the G7 group of the world's wealthiest democracies that he is orchestrating "irregular migration" in an "aggressive and exploitative" campaign -- just as he rejects the European Union's accusation that his re-election as president last year, his sixth consecutive five-year term, was a sham.
Not for nothing is the aging autocrat known outside of Belarus as Europe's last dictator.
When Kenyan President William Ruto touched down in Beijing seven months ago, he was welcomed on the tarmac with a red carpet and cordons of Chinese troops standing at attention. Among the goals of his three-day state visit in October: Securing another $1 billion in loans from China to help complete infrastructure projects.