Luc Brunet – 23 May 2014
One of the most interesting thinker and philosopher of our time is Noam Chomsky. He often uses the technique of symmetry to prove his points and I shall humbly use the same technique in this essay on Ukraine. I do not have his talent, sorry if the essay is boring or has some logical mistakes…
All of you followed the events in Ukraine over the past years and the more recent, unfortunately more dramatic development on the ground. Let’s now forget about all you have seen over the past few years and let me tell you another story, mostly symmetrical to the real one!
Let’s start!….
After the end of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Ukraine became independent, while it spent most of its history under the rule of neighboring countries, be it Russia, Poland or Lithuania. Most of the 90’s were somehow chaotic, just like in Russia under Yeltsin’s rule, but the beginning of the years 2000 brought a more solid government, mostly favorable to a step by step integration into Europe, with regular meetings between the Ukrainian leaders and the EU, as well as individual leaders from France, Germany and UK. The situation looked much more stable in the country, although several corruption cases spoiled the image of the new, western and NATO oriented leadership.
Such an endemic corruption, a lagging economy, proved fatal for the government. In 2005, the government was confronted to a period of “blue” revolution, people in Kiev and the East of the country asking for a closer relationship with Russia. It interestingly looked similar to previous colored revolutions that took place in ex-USSR countries like Georgia somehow before, where leaders close to the West and to NATO were kicked out and replaced by very pro-russian regimes.
The Ukrainian government finally had to step down, and new elections brought a pro-russian president. Western leaders and media suspected a large involvement of the Russian security services in the Blue Revolution, with financial help and technical support from Russia, but obviously nothing could be proven.The EU and the US complained about the situation but the new power took the lead and moved the country towards a pro-russian course.
However, in-satisfaction was still high within the population, because of continuing economic problems, and the absence of effective actions against corruption, the money just going to new pockets. The western part of the country, with cities like Lvov, were also concerned about the alignment with Moscow, the region considering itself much closer to central Europe than to Russia.
The next elections indeed brought back to power the western oriented parties and the president that was previously dismissed by the Blue Revolution came back to power in 2012. He moved the country back towards EU and potentially NATO integration and a previous pro-Russian female Prime Minister was judged for corruption and sent to jail.
Western media reacted very positively to those events.
Washington Post: The Ukrainian people finally voted for the rule of Law and for democracy. The country in now on track to join the world of free trade and freedom for each citizen. The fact that the previous Prime Minister was finally judged and punished for horrible economical crimes is a concrete sign that the country in moving into the right direction.
In 2013 however, the Ukrainian government almost signed a commercial agreement with Russia, that would have attracted the country in the economical zone including Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. At the last moment, the decision was however taken to abandon the project and to sign a cooperation agreement with the EU. Moscow accused the EU of making extravagant financial promises to the Ukraine in order to bring it back into the EU zone. The EU and European leaders strongly denied such allegations.
The news was however very badly received in the South and Eastern parts of the country, industrial regions with deep connection to Russia, and of course in Crimea, historically close to Russia and part of Ukraine since 1954 only.
Demonstrations in Kiev started to be really impressive and a big part of the city Center was occupied by people of all social categories, planting russian flags all over the place. The movement was rapidly known under the name of Rusprospekt, from the word prospekt, avenue or boulevard in Russian, and speakers talking to the crowd started to involved more and more Russian figures, like Michael Gorbachev, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, or the leader of the russian communist party Gennady Zhyuganov. Western leaders warned Russia about such a brutal and vulgar involvement in the internal affairs of the Ukraine.
US Vice President Biden declared: Ukraine is a sovereign state and having Foreign politicians coming to Kiev and openly pushing the population to a revolution against a democratically elected government is a flagrant breach of international good conduct between civilized states. This is simply not acceptable.
The EU, a neighbor of Ukraine was as early as November very concerned about a potential instability there, and proposed a round table negotiation involving Ukraine, Russia and the EU. The proposal was however immediately rejected by Russia, saying that the issue was a pure Ukrainian one and that foreign countries should not be involved. Indeed, Russia maintained its proposal for an economic association with Ukraine, adding that it was exclusive, thus pushing the Ukraine for a black and white choice between the West and Russia.
Crimean political parties became also more and more present on Rusprospekt, in particular extreme left parties using Stalinist symbols and slogans. Those groups became indeed the main organizers and the leading force at Rusprospekt, although they astutely disappeared when speakers like Gorbachev or Nemtsov came to Kiev to support the anti western movement. Western media was shocked by the presence of Stalin or Beria portraits on Rusprospekt.
Le Monde: the neo bolsheviks in Kiev, with their hammer and sickle flags and their pictures of Stalin look like a live nightmare. The millions of victims of soviet times are insulted in front of us! Shall human societies never learn from the past horrors of history? How can the Ukrainian government tolerate such things in 2013? What is the police doing?
Indeed, the Ukrainian government used limited force to fight Rusprospekt, although western leaders regularly asked for more decisive measures against the opposition.
The situation stabilized around the New Year, but more regular confrontations took place begin of February and a meeting was finally organized between the government and the opposition, with the presence of a western and a Russian delegation. An agreement was reached on February 21th, giving two days to the Ukrainian president to announce anticipated elections and a return to the constitution previously used under the pro russian leadership.
But on February 22nd, dramatic events took place in Kiev, and the hope raised by the agreement vanished very fast. Around 25 civilian demonstrators were coldly assassinated by snipers. The pro russian opposition pushed the president to flee the country and he vanished for a few days, while an emergency session of the parliament named a transition government, and even found the time to free the pro-russian ex prime minister lady from jail, bringing her on Rusprospekt a few hours later!
Western leaders reacted immediately and condemned a brutal and illegal coup, and asked for a fast return of the democratically elected president. The next week-end, significant demonstrations were held in London, Paris and Berlin, with the participation of several political figures like Tony Blair or Laurent Fabius, asking for action from western governments and of the EU to stop a new wave of Stalinist Dictatorship coming from the East. Eastern Europeans also went to the street with anti-communist and anti-Russian slogans, and unrests took place near the Russian embassy in Warsaw, were four people including 3 police officers were hurt.
Over the next days, tensions remained very high, as Polish troops started a drill exercise near the Ukrainian border. A few days later, a few Polish paratroopers managed to take control of the Lvov district, without any fight, as the local Ukrainian troops and police, at pair with the population, indeed welcomed the move, as saving them from the new tyranny installed in Kiev. Kiev of course complained about the rude annexing of part of its territory and Moscow asked for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council. All Western countries and the US voted against the motion at the UN, and China maintaining a prudent neutrality. Over the next days, Poland announced the organization of a referendum in Lvov, that indeed took place on March 11 th, with an overwhelming amount of votes in favor of joining Poland.
All western leaders and media celebrated the event as a victory of democracy.
Barak Obama: the events we just saw in the west of Ukraine are an example for the world. An example of how the will of people can win against the evil plans of dictators and totalitarians. Just like for Kosovo some years ago, Europe proves a resilient and attractive model for freedom and prosperity. America welcomes the new members of the Free World!
Die Welt: Lvov people have told us something we need to hear and understand – freedom is the key value of Europe and we need to act to help other Ukrainians getting free from the communist rule imposed by the criminal and illegal neo-soviet government in Kiev!
The Polish prime minister: Lvov was always close to the heard of us, Polish people. We are brothers and sisters, today more than ever!
After the noise went down, a few weeks of relative calm was observed in the rest of Ukraine, but a number of new laws initiated more worries in the west of the country, like for example a law to downgrade the status of the Ukrainian language, making Russian the only official language in the country. More demonstrations took place in cities like Vinnytsya, Chernivtsi or Odessa.
But in that very Odessa took place one more dramatic event on May 2nd, when a large number (probably 40 or 50) of supporters of a closer association with Poland and the EU were trapped in a building that was put on fire with petrol bombs, and died in horrible condition, burned alive or killed jumping from windows. The world woke up in stupor on the 3 rd of May.
Barak Obama: what we saw in Odessa is a wake-up call for us American. The images of people jumping from windows in fear of being burned alive is something that brings back to us the memories of 9/11. The wounds of America were open again – yesterday in Odessa. We did not leave 9/11 in NYC unpunished; we shall not leave 5/02 in Odessa unpunished.
Over the month of May, a parallel process took place. Inside the Ukraine, more western regions created their own self-defense groups and declared that they cut bridges with the communists in power in Kiev. The Free Republics of Zakarpatska and Ivano-Frankivska were declared mid of May, while the Kiev government, now called a Junta by most western media started a military action against those regions.
Outside of Ukraine, a UN resolution condemning the bloodshed in Odessa and the use of military forces against the civilian populations of western Ukraine was supported by all western countries, while China stayed neutral and Russia used its veto against it.
Beginning of June, and after a few months of discreet preparation, the US announced the imminent start of targeted and chirurgical bombing of Kiev and key industrial cities like Mariupol and Donetsk. On June 12th, he first bombs fell on Kiev, hitting key ministries and the residence of the new President.
Vice President Kerry: once again, America acts to preserve freedom when it is threatened by corrupt criminals imposing their agenda to innocent populations. We shall continue punitive actions against the Junta in Kiev until they step down and are judged for their crimes.
Now wake-up!!…
The nightmare is ended and was purely a fiction…. luckily the Kiev Junta is just a provisional government, western oriented, democratic and full of good intentions.
The bad guys have turned their back and now shall play with their friends in Asia – we are safe and a bright prosperous future is ensured for our western civilization.. Celebrate!