Will Leonid Kuchma Support Bill Clinton's Edicts?

Vice President Albert Gore sent a letter to President Kuchma, praising his series of economic ukases, Interfax-Ukraine reports.

Of course, the Vice President's message is to be regarded as a diplomatic gesture only, prompted by the State Department (very likely following transparent hints from the Ukrainian side prior to Mr. Gore's visit to this country). The question is how effective this move was – and I do not mean the consequences Mr. Gore's letter to President Kuchma could have on the Vice President's career. I mean that this message was characteristic of Ukrainian-US relationships and the way our "reforms" are supported by Washington.

For some reason no one is surprised watching the manner in which this support is being rendered. And this manner would look funny if it were not so sad. How is one to regard President Kuchma writing a letter in support of President Clinton? Why is Vice President Gore supporting Mr. Kuchma? Is it because the Ukrainian President proclaimed himself a number one reformer and is now acting in this direction, signing economic edicts, etc.? Americans and their bureaucracy are known to have every game played by set rules. In other words, they take everything the Ukrainian President declares and writes in his ukases (rather, what the State Department construes from these edicts and reports to the White House resident) at face value. In Ukraine, all these edicts are valued using different criteria – primarily how any given document can be implemented under local conditions. In this sense Ukraine's enigmatic "specificities" are generally known, meaning that most realistic, carefully analyzed, and properly motivated projects backfire. Assuming that those supporting Ukrainian reforms at home and across the ocean want the same thing accomplished, the only difference between them would be that they interpret the same text officially issued in Ukraine differently.

In other words, the context of Vice President Gore's is damaging for the domestic Ukrainian situation. It is yet another reason to disappoint the US democrats and to show all the interested parties exactly who is "supporting the antipopular regime" in Ukraine. Another portion of fuel poured on the fire of anti-American and antidemocratic sentiments in this country.

But can we really expect Uncle Sam to understand every nuance of what is going on in Ukraine, the latter being one of a hundred applicants for US aid? America cannot adjust itself to our "local ways," so as to make the ongoing dialogue yield practical results. We are the ones who need to adjust – something that can hardly be expected from the Ukrainian government. But maybe a handful of sober-minded members of Ukrainian civil society will make some tangible steps in this direction?

AP Photo:
Albert Gore makes his first step in Ukraine not by standing on a chair