Monday, April 21, 2014

Ukraine----what are you going to look like a year from now?

Given the pressures building on this beleaguered country, it is anyone's guess but perhaps Putin's wish that Ukraine will be a shadow of its former self. From Russia's perspective, the eastern regions along with parts of the south and west will have returned to the fold of  Mother Russia. To many Russians, this is as it should be. For those looking West,' such a scenario is tantamount to national genocide.
The present regime in Kiev is not without some questions as to its legality. Let's face it, the present leader and his followers were not elected just as the regime he displaced was also somewhat shadowy to say the least. There are also extreme right nationalist forces backing the new regime, a position that Putin makes clear is unacceptable. What to do?
There have been calls from both sides of the 'divide' to have a referendum to sort out where the borders of a Ukraine might lay, but it is the delivery of this exercise that many hold little hope for a fair or level playing field. Both sides are capable and have indeed demonstrated a propensity to either stifle open debate or have control over the means of promulgating a range of views. Both sides could be said to be guilty of that.
Underlying the Ukraine question is the position of Putin re Governance in Russia and the performance of the Russian economy. Perhaps he is following the age-old strategy of 'foreign adventures' to draw the eye of his people away from the lack of performance in his economy----nothing new about that, nor belonging to Russian leaders alone.
There will be a tit-for-tat response between the UE and Russia with the USA feeding the issue from beyond, playing its cards for its own reasons and foreign policy. In the end, Ukraine is merely the chess-board for other struggles; albeit an unwilling one, caught in the middle of personalities and darker forces at work in the Russian economy and vested interests in the West. What's new! Now is very much time for cool heads to prevail.