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Where there is no law, but every man does what is right in his own eyes, there is the least of real liberty
Henry M. Robert

TROUBLE IN THE UKRAINIAN CAMP

13 November, 2012 - 00:00

There is a powerful Jewish lobby in the West, a wealthy Armenian one, a growing Chinese one, and a Greek one effectively cutting Ankara off from Europe. Finally, a Russian lobby seems in the process of forming (no thanks to Moscow, rather by retired Sovietologists left jobless after the USSR’s collapse).

A Ukrainian one? Probably, but this looks like a very tough job politically, especially after the events of the past couple of years when reforms in Ukraine started to skid and at times backslide. Ukrainian foreign policy remains enigmatic and the term “corruption” is used at almost the constitutional level. Under the circumstances Ukraine lobbying or even advertising Ukraine’s geopolitical significance in the West is difficult even for such influential figures such as former presidential adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski. In fact, Dr. Brzezinski sounded remarkably unsure of himself talking about Ukraine at last week’s presentation of his new book in Warsaw.

Among other things he said that Ukraine could not be saved, and nor could its independence be supported, economy restructured or democratic process boosted unless the Ukrainians took part in the process and an increasing number of the political elite got involved.

Ukraine should not soothe itself with US Congress’s recent decision not to curb financial aid. Kyiv had nothing to do with it. The Americans simply realized that reducing help would automatically weaken their influence, financial as well as moral. By keeping Ukraine supplied they would prompt the leadership in Kyiv to do something, anything, rather than sit on their hands. The United States wants to help Ukraine, lest Kyiv become another Minsk which feels that no one needs it in the West. And nor does the US want to give Kyiv an excuse to launch a series of anti-American soliloquies (which still gladden many hearts in the Ukrainian electorate; even Mr. Kuchma has been quoted as saying things that would hardly be met with approval on Capitol Hill).

For Ukraine the situation is exacerbated by the fact that the United States seems to have embarked on yet another round of foreign political egotism when congressmen attack the Clinton Administration for excessive spending increasing the burden on the rank-and-file taxpayer. Actually, this jealous care of the ordinary American’s wallet is cyclical and happens every two or three years. Remarkably, hardly anyone seemed to have noticed that 19 out of 100 senators voted against the admittance of Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic to NATO. Perhaps because no one had expected this much resistance in a matter outwardly long decided and self-apparent. There is also the possibility that the US political and financial reserves set aside for Ukraine and this region of the globe are getting thin.

 

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