New Ukraine can't be built by radicals longing for power - expert
13 March 2014, 17:43 -- Revolutions are designed by romantics, implemented by fanatics, while scums use their results. That statement by Otto von Bismarck has been confirmed by history numerous times. Suffice it to recall that while the most progressive part of society was the driving force behind the Arab spring, Islamists got to power as a result of that uprising.
It appears that something similar is happening in Ukraine: despite the good intentions of the participants of the protests, the results of the revolution could prove frustrating for them. The brightest and most memorable moments of the Ukrainian revolution were the clashes of the opposition and Berkut. The photographs depicting shootings and Molotov cocktails hitting the helmets of the Special Forces were widespread all over the world. However, not all protests' participants were that radical and prepared to fight against the militia. Among those who went to the Maidan there were many women, elderly people and children. And naturally, not all the protesters were of the opinion held by ultra-nationalists from the Right Sector. Actually, it is not surprising that anti-government protests united very diverse groups, thinks Fyodor Lukyanov, the head of the Council for Foreign and Defense Policy.
'They fought against an absolutely rotten regime which had run down the country. I don't only mean the regime of Yanukovych as such, although he made it worse by his incompetent policy. But I mean the entire regime in power in Ukraine over the past 20 years: nontransparent and sticky oligarchic system, which provided some balance, but did not provide any development. In other words, the ruling elite lived off the Soviet heritage and was busy redistributing the assets. People got sick and tired of all that. Thus, the explosion of protests was quite natural. Thus, one cannot say that in Maidan there were only provocateurs and participants that got paid,' he says.
If the problem were Viktor Yanukovych personally, one could say that Maidan participants got what they were searching for. He personally fled the country, while the Party of the Regions that supported him got noticeably weaker. But if we assume that the entire political class in Ukraine requires modernization, one cannot talk about the Maidan's victory. Alexei Vlasov, head of the Center for the Study of the Post-Soviet Space, comments on the issue.
'The new appointments of governors in a number of regions in the East and Southeast of Ukraine show that the same people, the same faces, the same financial and industrial groups that were present in Yanukovych's times remain afloat under the new authorities. If the goal was to remove the hateful Yanukovych, then yes, the problem has been solved, although by illegitimate methods. But what next? I don't see any winners among those who sincerely protested against the corruption and wrongful administrative decisions made by the previous regime. They did not get what they fought for,' Vlasov asserts.
Neither Arseny Yatsenyuk, the acting prime minister, nor Alexander Turchinov, the acting president, is a newcomer in Ukrainian politics. Their rise to the political Olympus is unlikely to be that renewal, for the sake of which the protests began. By the way, that was also the reason why those gathered in Maidan gave a cold reception to Yulia Tymoshenko who spoke to them. Despite the fact that she is perceived as a victim of the Yanukovich's regime, she is not associated with changes. But there is another category of politicians, who really did not play a noticeable role in Ukrainian politics until just recently, Fyodor Lukyanov recalls.
'The second group consists of new radicals, who are quite passionate and firm on their nationalistic ideals. But they are also not the ones who can build a new and happy Ukraine. And that's it! There isn't anybody else. There is no space between these groups that could give birth to healthy forces. Thus, I am afraid that the frustration of those who sincerely protested is inevitable and will come soon,' the expert concludes.
One must add that of all the external players, the main beneficiary of the Ukrainian revolution is not the US or the EU, but China. Beijing continues to preserve normal relations with Kiev. At the same time the Chinese English language newspaper Global Times that presents to the world the position of the country's leadership, has published an article with a demonstrative title 'To Support Russia is in China's Interests'. It says that the public opinion of the Chinese citizens should be entirely on Russia's side. Thus, although Beijing did not officially support Moscow, it has sent an important signal. Due to that, as well as to the fact that relations with the West are cooling down, the pro-Chinese turn in Russia's foreign policy is likely to increase.
Artyom Kobzev
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