To educate Ukrainians about NATO

Over the past several months polls have shown a decreasing number of Ukrainians favoring NATO membership, a fact that has been actively capitalized upon by the opponents of Euro-Atlantic integration. In addition, it may also cause problems with the Ukraine-NATO dialogue. In keeping with the alliance’s tradition, the population of a country wishing to become a member must make its intention clear, either way. Sociologists attribute this attitude to surviving Cold War stereotypes and lack of information concerning NATO’s specifics, functions, decision-making procedures, and the rights and obligations of member states. Their assumption seems corroborated by the number of undecided respondents, 24% according to a June poll by the Democratic Initiatives Fund in cooperation with Taylor Nelson Sofrez Ukraine. The situation that has developed shows that, on the one hand, Ukraine officially declares its Euro-Atlantic orientation and is taking definite steps in that direction; on the other hand, its population appears dominated by fears that are mythical in many respects (like Ukrainian servicemen having to take part in hostilities, should another armed conflict emerge, although most skeptics do not know that every NATO member country is entitled to decide whether or not its men will take part in combat missions of any kind). Sociologists further believe that there is a simple way out of this situation. All it takes is an active education campaign, primarily at the provincial level. Incidentally, former Secretary of the NSDC and current Defense Minister Yevhen Marchuk said in his latest interview with The Day that a message containing detailed information and the reasons for Ukraine beginning procedures aimed at eventually joining NATO had been forwarded to Ukraine’s governors last May, following the memorable NSDC resolution. All those governors were supposed to have the populace duly informed.

What are the local authorities doing to help people learn more about NATO and the advantages and obligations enjoyed and assumed by every member state? The Day posed this and other questions to knowledgeable people representing various regions.

Yuri RAIKHEL, deputy director, Region Data Processing Center (Dnipropetrovsk):

My observations show that people residing in Ukraine’s regions have a vague and often distorted idea about NATO. We all know that there is a surviving Soviet stereotype of NATO as a perpetual aggressor. Recently I noted a paradox; a poll registered 50% of the respondents believing that the war in Iraq was waged by NATO. They did, because they were poorly informed. In fact, most of what people can learn about NATO comes from the media, while regional periodicals mention the subject only fleetingly. True, a round table was held in Dnipropetrovsk not so long ago, attended by envoys from NATO countries; also, a conference on European integration with Michelle Durres, director of NATO Information and Documentation Center, taking part.

If we ask what regional authorities are doing to inform the people about NATO and its actual endeavors, the answer is, nothing. They’re too busy coping with social, economic, and domestic political issues. Personally, I think it’s not their job to inform people about a military political alliance Ukraine is headed for but is not a member of. It takes a special national program and a mechanism to carry this out at the regional level. Perhaps this task could be best effected in close collaboration with the NATO Information and Documentation Center. To date, all we have is talk, however official and impressive. Sometimes I think that they are practicing the Soviet approach of going through the motions of doing something and then reporting to superiors that everything has been accomplished. Actually, I tend to believe that this approach is practiced by both Ukraine and its NATO partners. I wish I could remind them all that several years ago, when the NATO Information and Documentation Center opened in Ukraine and became active, Ukrainian public opinion shifted significantly in favor of European integration. Now the situation is different because that activity has slackened. Our estimates indicate that there could have been a considerably more favorable attitude toward NATO in Ukraine, given planned information work, especially in the provinces, on the regional level.

Oleksandr HERNEHO, docent, Department of Philosophy and Political Science, Khmelnytsky Institute for Regional Administration and Law:

I completely agree that our population is ill-informed about NATO, its structure and values. What information is readily available proves scanty, biased, loaded with Left and Right ideological stereotypes. Also, there is an apparent lack of coordination among NATO countries. Remember what happened when the Iraqi crises erupted. I believe that there are certain egotistic aspects affecting NATO efforts; they seem to ignore the interests and specifics of certain countries, and they appear reluctant to allow for all those specifics in terms of civilization.

For this reason, information about NATO, its current efforts and prospects, should be unbiased, an approach we unfortunately often find lacking. This is one of main reasons for the situation that has developed concerning the prospects of Ukraine’s NATO membership. As a private citizen, I receive pertinent information from the central government and the media. Unfortunately, local authorities appear preoccupied with issues relating other aspects of life. Of course, coping with such problems is important, but there are global issues that cannot be ignored.

Volodymyr KYRYCHYNSKY, executive secretary, regional organization of the National Writers’ Union of Ukraine, chairman of the Chornobyl Hostages Charitable Benevolent Association, Zhytomyr:

I think that local authorities should not be mandated to inform the populace about NATO. Ukraine is not a member, is it? Those willing to know more about the alliance ought to use information carried by the central media, including your newspaper. Thus far we don’t seem to have worked out a clear stand, in Verkhovna Rada and other authorities, with regard to foreign policy guidelines. But we shouldn’t sit on the Russian and Ukrainian fence at the same time. We have to work out an unequivocal position, so we must start by explaining to our citizens who we have to protect ourselves from. Also, it would be wrong to say that such-and-such regional state administrations and other local authorities are going about keeping the people informed about NATO and Ukraine’s possible membership the wrong way, simply because it’s not our highest political priority. Irayida Holovanova, a journalist with the newspaper Zhytomyrshchyna (founded by the regional council and regional state administration), traveled from Zhytomyr to the NATO headquarters in Brussels and then wrote about the alliance, her story boiling down to the devil being not so terrible as he is painted. Unfortunately, hers seems the only such attempt to date.

Eduard BALAHURI, Candidate in history, professor, Uzhhorod National University:

There is nothing local authorities can do about public opinion with regard to the North Atlantic alliance. That’s a matter for the central government. Suffice it to look through regional periodicals to see that there is actually no information. Instead, there were floods and the Emergency Management Ministry’s battalion stationed at Vynohradiv and NATO units [taking part in the rescue missions] showed that, hopefully, we could take quick and effective measures when faced with such nationwide calamities.

Yury PAPERNY, secretary of the board, Chernihiv city organization of the Youth Information Center volunteer organization:

We haven’t carried out a single project aimed at elucidating NATO and its relations with Ukraine. And this against the backdrop of evolving cooperation between the military units deployed in our region and NATO structures. Local authorities could have organized a round table involving volunteer organizations and media, to disseminate information about the alliance in institutions of learning, include NATO and its current efforts as a special subject into the curricula of refresher courses for schoolteachers, and mark NATO Day. Despite tangible changes in NATO structures and the readjustment of its objectives and tasks, most people living in Chernihiv and the region regard the alliance as an aggressive bloc, as was inculcated by Soviet Communist propaganda during the Cold War. Our public is not informed about the actual pros and cons of Ukraine’s NATO membership.

Tomas SIUCH, writer, member of a mountain rescue team, Uzhhorod:

The Carpathian population stands for Ukraine’s NATO membership, even without being formally propagandized by local authorities. We are concerned about all of Ukraine, not only Zakarpattia. Russia, that Asiatic monster, could do something to cause a lot of trouble at any moment or incite a disastrous occurrence, using its big money. So long as we have Russia’s presence, nothing will work out. The Black Sea Navy is a graphic example. Ukraine should be cleared of all foreign military presence. Leonid Kravchuk, while president of Ukraine, took the right stand. It’s time Ukraine rid itself of all influence on the part of all those puppets. Zakarpattia wants none of that. Take that marine-like [Russian] military exercise in the Crimea. Things like that are unacceptable. We in Zakarpattia place our hopes in Yevhen Marchuk who wants Ukraine to become a member of NATO and is making every effort in that direction.

Oleksiy VOITOVYCH, Candidate in Political Science, Deputy Dean, International Law Department, Mechnikov Institute for Social Studies, Odesa:

I believe that what’s being done by local authorities is not what actually matters, The point is the population’s adequate attitude toward NATO information. We seem to have developed a certain stereotype, viewing NATO as an aggressive bloc. NATO people ought to have shown to the Ukrainian public just how much their organization has changed. As it is they say that theirs is a political organization. Practically, it continues to demonstrate arm-twisting methods.

There are a number of other theses working to preserve such stereotypes in public opinion. Most countries willing to join NATO are attracted by the fifth clause the [membership agreement], national security arrangements. This specifically addresses the Baltic states bordering on an unpredictable Russia. In Ukraine, the possibility of NATO membership is generally regarded as a military and political alliance. There is no other world political structure capable of upholding European security. The latest example is the military exercise in the Black Sea. Ukrainian politicians say comprehensive contacts with NATO should be developed, regarding this as the next step to the European Union. Such an interrelationship appears rather questionable. It is true that NATO endeavors have undergone considerable transformations over the past couple of years, yet it takes disseminating more substantial information in Ukraine to change the public attitude.

Oleksandr SABAN, chairman Department of Information Sciences, Halytsky Medical Institute of Lviv:

The Yavorivsky Test Area in Ukraine, one of Europe’s largest, has accommodated NATO-European-Asian military exercises for almost eight years. People Lviv are keenly aware of this, owing to extensive media coverage. July 14 will witness the beginning of yet another such exercise known as Peace Shield ‘03, involving combat units from 23 countries. Recently we witnessed Right and Ready, an exercise practicing rescue operations in the aftermath of a man-caused disaster, also meant to coordinate the efforts of various services in case of an earthquake, aiding the populace, etc. Such exercises and skills are necessary not only for the NATO countries, but also for Ukraine which may eventually face such emergency situations (we all know about our floods).

People living in this region are anxious to know whether such exercises at Yavoriv produce any adverse effects on the environment. Recently we had the site examined by a special ecological team. Their findings read that there was no damage. In fact, their readings showed that the pollution ratio was considerably lower than in downtown Kyiv.

People living in the vicinity of the Yavorivsky Test Area have for years been picking mushrooms and berries on the site, and for many it has become a professional occupation of sorts. For me and those like me, it’s a way to relax and commune with nature. We are notified of exercises long in advance, meaning we can’t go there and have to wait.

I won’t go into further detail and will use this example, meaning that Ukraine shows various attitudes toward NATO, but we in Halychyna support the idea of joining the alliance.