Let me start off by saying I hate politics but the news coming out of Ukraine is simply bothering me too much to be quiet. After travelling through 23 countries and living in Ukraine for only four months, I hear news about a place I’ve visited and often wonder if I missed something when I was there.
Ukrainian protestors continue to clash with police despite the recent ban passed by the government outlawing public demonstrations. I was watching a live feed of the events on YouTube from downtown Kyiv and the only thought that came to mind is “insanity”. I mean, on both sides. First, that the protestors are still going at it and second, that the government refuses to let go.
Where is this all leading?
The protestors want freedom and by that they mean for the current government to get out of office and stay out. It’s hard to tell what the government wants other than to stay in office. This is where a lot of people will point out the corruption in the Ukrainian government, after all, how else could they stay in power? And that’s the point, they must be making money or doing something for somebody in order for them to maintain their power with little to no outside interference, except from Russia. The US Government finally released a statement that condemned the violence used against the protestors.
One of Ukraine’s top exports is steel. Many folks hinge Ukraine’s future on joining the EU because the dictatorship-style government the Russians often utilize scares the Ukrainian people. The EU wouldn’t tolerate such treatment. However, the problem is that if Ukraine’s biggest export is steel and China is the biggest importer of the product, then the easiest way to get it there is through Russia.
This presents a problem.
This isn’t about money, people would say, it’s about freedom. I would say it has more to do with money than people think. The Russians are trying to re-unite their old Soviet empire under a new banner called the Customs Union which is a precursor to a budding Eurasian Union. The Eurasian Union, for all intents and purposes, is practically a reconstruction of the Soviet Union, just a new name and some new faces and links former Soviet countries under one political and economic union.
When I visited Ukraine a few years back I remember people saying that the 2004 Orange Revolution was like a party and that nothing really happened as a result. Years later it was the same old news. The revolution lasted a little while and enabled Yuschenko and Tymoshenko a chance at governing the nation but something or someone else got involved and messed it all up.
Neither Yanukovych nor any of his minions show any sign of backing down. Whatever the government does the people of Ukraine simply won’t go away. This has gone on for months now and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. In other words, regardless of the laws passed, protestors aren’t backing down and regardless of what the protestors do, the government won’t back down. At some point this has to end, right? Or are we at the tip of a very larger iceberg?
What would end these protests?
It seems as if violence has become the answer, as we now see happening in the news.
As a student of Ukraine’s history through my upbringing, these happenings remind me of what I’ve learned about the 1917 Russian revolution, the difference being that there are no Tsars to overthrow in Russia but a communist government. That revolution, although it did finally change the face of Russia, took five years to put Lenin in power. The reason why this is important is because it was only between 1918 and 1922 that Ukraine was actually an independent, sovereign country. That is, not ruled by Lithuanians, Polish, Austrians or Russians. 4 years. FOUR YEARS of independence. Before 1918, the last time Ukraine governed itself was with a military regime in power, that is, the Cossacks. They maintained control for a little while, but it wasn’t long before the Russians again impeded upon the lands.
This begs the question, does Ukraine have the ability to govern itself? Although people tell me things are a lot better now than they were 20 years ago, the apparent rampant corruption suggests that the country is going to have a very difficult time making it on its own. What would stop Russian influence in the region? Would they build a Ukrainian Wall? How could Ukraine even protect the freedom it gains? The idea of joining the EU would change everything is almost entirely absurd. The is no physical border between Russia and Ukraine, what would stop Russian troops from moving in?
All that being written and said, I’m fully supportive of the Ukrainian’s peoples efforts to oust a corrupt government. The problem with pointing fingers at any other corrupt government is that they’d turn around and ask about our corporate governance. One doesn’t have to look hard to see how corruption has plagued democratic and capitalist countries too.
As the protests continue and the rampant corruption remains in the government offices, Ukraine is slowly extending the time it has as a sovereign, independent nation. But is it really free? History shows that Ukraine and its people are often controlled by other governments or forces. If the protests succeed, what will guarantee and enforce that freedom? These are just some of the questions that need to be answered in order to gain and maintain the country’s independence.
This is all my opinion and thoughts on the matter but it does hit close to home. As a Ukrainian-Canadian, I and my friends still know people living in Ukraine being affected by these riots. However, having travelled some of the world I can tell you that the media is presenting only one part of what’s really going on. Further, as a student of history Ukraine’s independence, if it is maintained, would be a truly historical achievement, one that hasn’t been seen in hundreds of years.
For what it’s worth, Slava Ukraini!