[Ukraine] never was a country but an almalgam of provinces left over from failed empires–Russian, Austrian, Lithuanian, Ottoman–cobbled together into a Soviet “republic” and cast adrift after the collapse of Communism. Lviv (Lemberg) was a German-speaking city, part of Silesia; before World War II a quarter of its people were Jews. Jews were two-fifths of the population of Odessa.
A fifth of the population, mainly in the East, are ethnic Russians; a tenth, mainly in the West, are Uniate Catholics, who have a special place in Catholic policy since the papacy of John Paul II. Ukrainian nationality is as dubious as Byelorussian nationality: neither of them had a dictionary of their language until 1918.
The country also is a basket case. At its present fertility rate (1.3 children per female), its 47 million people will shrink to only 15 million by the end of the century. There are presently 11 million Ukrainian women aged 15 to 49 (although a very large number are working abroad); by the end of the century this will fall to just 2.8 million. There were 52 million Ukrainian citizens when Communism fell in 1989. Its GDP at about $157 billion is a fifth of Turkey’s and half of Switzerland’s. Ukrainians want to join the European Union rather than Russia so they can emigrate. It is of no strategic, economic, or demographic importance to the West.
That may already be underway:
"The regime has begun active military action against people. Dozens of people have been killed in Kiev and hundreds have been wounded. Fulfilling the will of society, the executive committee of the Lviv region's council, the People's Rada, is assuming full responsibility for the fate of the region and its citizens," read a statement.The executive committee was led by Petro Kolodiy, chairman of the Lviv region's council.Lviv lies close to the border with Poland and was one of the venues for the Euro 2012 football tournament. Over the past months, the city has become a powerful engine driving the insurgency against president Viktor Yanukovich.The region, which is traditionally hostile to the easterner Yanukovich and favours closer ties with the European Union, has a population of 2.5 million.
Resist!
The result was 43 dead, 1,189 injured, over 7,200 arrests, and more than 2,000 buildings destroyed. The scale of the riot was surpassed only by the New York City Draft Riots, during the U.S. Civil War, and the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
ReplyDeleteThat was Detroit back in da day, wonder if God makes any distinction about the violent madness of HIS Creation?
Yanukovich wanted to put Ukraine squarely in the Russian orbit. This would immensely enhance Putin's geostrategic position - an undesirable development.
ReplyDeleteUkraine's president and opposition leaders signed an agreement on Friday to try to end the country's political crisis.
ReplyDeleteDamn, same old diplomatic shit without blood and real fires! Who caved?
Charges of violating the peace, assault, arson, murder went down in Detroit city vs. the perpetrators of the violence. Ya think some of the violent protestors should be charged in the Ukraine? Animals do not even act like that unless they're hunting their dinner.
ReplyDeleteI object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.
ReplyDeleteMahatma Gandhi
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/violence.html#7XxhrGEhX0RKbxsX.99
Violence, even well intentioned, always rebounds upon oneself.
ReplyDeleteLao Tzu
Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.
ReplyDeleteIsaac Asimov