Demagogy Rules for Lack Of Reason

Demagogy is on the march. Our parliamentarians are for all kinds of aid, including military, to their Serbian brethren. But it is next to impossible to imagine dear Mr. Tkachenko, the author of the statement, in the Balkan mountains and woods, sporting fatigues, with beard and a machine gun in hand, defending his beloved fraternal Serbs. Also heard are demands to immediately break relations with NATO and restore Ukraine's nuclear status. However, nobody, except our friends, is afraid. Some may even believe it. For, as a wise diplomat explained to me, the world also knows the price of such statements.

Great and mighty fraternal Russia still frightens the world with probable military assistance to Yugoslavia, but so far this assistance is confined to a demonstrative voyage by a reconnaissance ship, which makes the world laugh heartily. Moreover, great and mighty Russia is steadily heading for self-isolation and, to ward off sadness, coaxes Ukraine to keep it company. Perhaps this will be a subject of discussion during Yevgeny Primakov's visit to Kyiv. However, nobody there is going to fight NATO. Perhaps, the ignominious Chechnya war still jars in their memory.

The world overtly ignores the Russian-Ukrainian hysteria, for it knows that both countries cannot do without Western loans, whoever comes to power. The world rejects Ukrainian mediation, for it knows the price of Ukraine itself. No notice is taken of the failure of NATO's Balkan blitzkrieg, for otherwise one would have to explain things to the taxpayers, bury the discredited alliance, and frantically create something new for which no one seems to be ready.

In ancient Greece, all wars stopped during Olympic Games. In today's Europe, wars are not suspended even on Easter.
The world of today clearly has a shortage of politicians capable of elementary thinking and calculation. We also clearly lack politicians capable of respecting themselves and their people. It is for this reason that Europe is likely to enter the new millennium with its old conflicts and problems of refugees and terrorism, and none of those who initiated the NATO strikes will be brought to court. And Ukraine in 2000 will still remain in a gray or some other security zone, for it will still be vacillating between West and East, Europe and a Eurasia moving far her away from Europe by the day, complaining about Balkan war losses and with no chance to occupy its legitimate place in a united Europe. It is all so sad, dear friends.