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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

UKRAINE MUST MAKE UP ITS MIND ABOUT EUROPE

13 November, 2012 - 00:00

Such is the opinion of German political analyst Alexander Rahr. “I think that the West has given Ukraine a lot of unreasonable and wrong promises, without specifying whether it wants Ukraine to enter Europe and where exactly the European borderline is to be drawn. However, the Ukrainian elite lacks unanimity on this matter as well. There are at least 10 opinions on Ukraine’s accession to NATO and some of these are very naive: once we join EU and NATO everything will be just fine. If we don’t we’ll turn to Russia.

“Ukrainians must realize: foreign firms must be treated with as much respect as in their countries of origin. Nowadays much depends on capital and bankers, rather than on what governments decide.

“Some people in the West would want Ukraine to assert a more rigid regime, so as to give reforms a fresh impetus. It’s like shooting first and asking questions later.”

(From The Day’s interview with Alexander Rahr, expert with the Society for German Foreign Policy)

Photo by Volodymyr Rasner, The Day:

Alexander Rahr: “The Ukrainian elite, in contrast to its Polish or Czech counterparts, does not want to study the West but demands everything at once and immediately”

 

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