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John Coale, President Trump’s special envoy to Belarus, told Greta Van Susteren on The Record that Washington has been quietly brokering the release of large numbers of political prisoners and that the goal now is to get every unjustly jailed dissident out of Belarus. Americans who value human dignity should applaud direct results, not the hollow virtue-signaling of the diplomatic elite.
These releases are not theoretical: Minsk freed 14 high-profile dissidents in June and later another group of 52 prisoners after U.S. mediation, moves Coale personally helped shepherd through sensitive talks in Minsk and Vilnius. Hardworking patriots who remember the old, slow-footed State Department know that when results matter you sometimes need unconventional channels and strong leadership.
The momentum continued when Belarussian authorities pardoned and released a much larger group in December, including internationally recognized figures long wrongfully detained, illustrating that firm, results-oriented diplomacy can win freedom for real people. Conservatives who favor peace through strength should celebrate the practical end to suffering for these families and press for more.
Yes, the deal-making with Lukashenko involved tradeoffs — the U.S. eased certain sanctions on Belarusian exports and aviation in exchange for concrete humanitarian outcomes — and that’s how diplomacy has always worked for America’s interests. Critics on the left and in Europe wag their fingers while ignoring that prisoners walked free because Americans negotiated, delivered, and didn’t sit on their hands.
Some human-rights activists complain that not every inmate is out yet and warn against rewarding autocrats; those concerns deserve attention, but they should not be an excuse for paralysis. A patriot’s duty is to secure freedom where we can and to keep pressing for the rest — not to grandstand while people languish behind bars.
Republicans who believe in American leadership should take this moment as vindication of tough, smart engagement backed by leverage — and demand Congress and the next administration keep pursuing pragmatic wins for human freedom. John Coale’s work shows that when America leads with clarity and resolve, the world’s victims get a second chance; conservatives must defend that approach and push to finish the job.
