{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Andrei Ivanou: Inside Belarus, Europe\u2019s Last Dictatorship","description":"Andrei Ivanou, a Belarusian native, and I sit down to learn more about the fascinating, oft-forgotten country of Belarus.  Belarus has the dubious honor of being the longest-running European dictatorship thanks to their leader, Alexander Lukashenko, who seized power in 1994 following the power vacuum that was created by the fall of the USSR.  A military man, Lukashenko is often referred to as \u0431\u0430\u0446\u044c\u043a\u0430 (\u201cdad\u201d) by Belarusians because he oversees everything and dominates the country.   If you\u2019re like me before this episode, you don\u2019t much about Belarus - or even where it\u2019s located.  (Hint: It\u2019s sandwiched predominantly between Russia, Poland, and Ukraine on the eastern edge of Europe.)  Nor have you given it much thought in terms of what life is like there. Yet for Europeans, it\u2019s often viewed as a bridge between East and West.  And for Russia, it\u2019s long been one of its closest allies because it serves as a critical land buffer between Moscow and the EU across the North European Plain. Andrei and I discuss what\u2019s changed since the fall of the USSR, what it\u2019s like to live in a dictatorship (especially after having lived in the U.S.), what\u2019s being smuggled into and out of the country, how much locals actually make and which surprising job is the best-paid, the sort of economic propaganda put forward by the press, why Belarusian women are known worldwide for their beauty, how to travel there (spoiler alert: It\u2019s not that easy), and more. Andrei is the CSPO at TechVice, one of the companies which my software company, CallerSmart, works with.  If you\u2019d like to learn more about Belarus and get a \u201cboots on the ground\u201d taste of what life is actually like under \u201cdaddy\u201d in Europe\u2019s last dictatorship, then this episode is for you. Andrei\u2019s Links:  TechVice CallerSmart Other Relevant Links: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko \u201cIt\u2019s not the people who vote that count. It\u2019s the people who count the votes.\u201d Digital Nomads: The best city you've never been to | Sovereign Man Chernobyl: The Wildlife Haven Created When People Left In Secretive Belarus, Chernobyl's Impact Is Breathtakingly Grim P.S. If you liked the show, please leave a review on whichever podcast platform you listened to it on.  Positive reviews help others find our work. And if you didn\u2019t like the show, please send an email to podcast@spreadgreatideas.com to let us know why so that we can do better next time.  Thanks! ","author_name":"Spread Great Ideas: The Podcast","author_url":"http:\/\/spreadgreatideas.libsyn.com\/website","html":"