NEWS AND VIEWS: At the Leadership Conference: prognosis is good (12/09/01)

NEWS AND VIEWS

At the Leadership Conference: prognosis is good

by Eugene Melnitchenko and Helena Lysyj Melnitchenko

With the wounded Pentagon just a mile away, The Washington Group's, "crown jewel event" took place on a golden October weekend, as scheduled. While many canceled trips to the nation's capital as the threat of Anthrax hung over the city, Ukrainian American professionals, in somewhat smaller numbers than in previous years, listened to the distinguished panels of presenters, asked profound and probing questions, and on Saturday night danced, celebrating Ukraine's progress in its 10 year's of independence as well honoring one of their own, U.S. Army Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Nicholas Krawciw.

The reception at the Embassy of Ukraine - in a historic Georgetown building where George Washington once dined, was an elegant beginning for this important event. Ambassador Konstyantin Gryshchenko graciously greeted his guests, first in Ukrainian and then English. Glimpsed among the distinguished guests were two military officers, one in an American the other in a Ukrainian uniform, who chatted in close proximity to the Rev. Dr. Borys Gudziak of the Lviv Theological Academy. Myroslava Gongadze, widow of the journalist Heorhii Gongadze and an honorary member of TWG, made an appearance, her presence a poignant reminder that all is still not well in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian ambassador's involvement in this year's conference gave us reason to believe that Ukraine, in the wake of some recent negative publicity, may be seeking a closer relationship with its diaspora. After all, members of the Ukrainian diaspora have been serving as Ukrainian ambassadors for over 50 years.

The ambassador took part in a panel that included the Hungarian, Slovak, and Bulgarian ambassadors to the United States. The forum's topic was Ukraine's integration into the European Community and NATO, a step considered of the utmost importance by many Ukrainian Americans. Ambassador Geza Jeszenszky of Hungary pointed out that his country's admission into NATO and its coming membership in the European Union are partly attributable to its diaspora's support.

Ambassador Gryshchenko pointed out that Ukraine is in a different point in time than the other new democracies in that "70 years of Soviet rule has left a profound impact" on the country. Despite the challenges it faced over the past 10 years, Ukraine got rid of its nuclear weapons, reduced its military, divided its Black Sea fleet, wrote its Constitution, reformed its economy, adopted new currency, formed strategic defense alliances, closed the Chornobyl nuclear power plant and ensured the rights of minorities - all peaceably, without violence.

He reminded the audience that Ukraine has been a valuable member of the United Nations, is a member of its Security Council and has been contributing to world security with peacekeeping troops in various trouble spots of the world.

Ukraine's military, "a shining star in defense," received high praise from Stacy Closson of the U.S. Department of Defense, and her presentation in turn deserves high praise. Ms. Stacy made several thoughtful suggestions, among them that Ukraine needs to decide who its enemies are, define its defensive strategy and impose more civilian controls over its military. The tragic events of September 11 in the United States may well help lead it in the right direction. Ukraine has supported the U.S. war on terrorism by opening its air space to American planes.

There was a touch of the schoolmaster in the State Department's W. Gregory Perett's "report card" for Ukraine, although he correctly stressed that the door to Europe for Ukraine is through reform. In an analysis of a country at the crossroads, he pointed out that Ukraine could align itself in one of three ways: with Russia to the North, GUUAM to the East or Europe to the West. It's safe to say that the majority of Ukrainian Americans would support the European alliance. Ukraine is one of Europe's oldest countries with a proud heritage. If allied with Russia, Ukraine would remain the "Little Brother," in time it could become an equal partner in Europe. Ukraine also has the potential to assume a higher leadership role among neighboring countries, such as Belarus - "the last dictatorship in Europe."

The U.S. Department of Commerce position on Ukraine, as presented by Christine Lucyk was the most negative. While it is true that Ukraine is the last emerging economy in Europe due to its difficult business climate and weak rule of law, these writers believe that the Commerce Department can, and should, do more to stimulate economic growth in Ukraine. Now that Ukraine has survived and has become a democratic country with a private economy, such difficulties as the tax code and intellectual property rights will be addressed and reformed to make them more acceptable to foreign investors. In the meantime, the Commerce Department needs to become more proactive in encouraging U.S. companies to invest in Ukraine, develop specific investment projects for the country, help Ukraine increase its trade with the West and help Ukraine implement some of the economic reforms it seeks. A tall order to be sure, but Ukraine needs more guidance and support in this area.

The excellent and diverting luncheon address by Borys Tarasyuk, former minister of foreign affairs of Ukraine and former ambassador, stressed Ukraine's progress in foreign affairs. We should all be grateful to him and for his colleagues' success in making Ukraine more visible internationally. We no longer have to justify who we are and explain that Ukraine is not Russia, but an independent country.

The highly qualified presenters on the women's issues panel addressed the issue of the inclusion of women in government. Although women in Ukraine work hard at the grassroots level, few are in positions of power. Obviously, that needs to change to make Ukrainian society more just and more civil. Women have evolved a unique position in the Ukrainian society, keeping it together even without its own government, and are now entitled to share its leadership and power legitimately.

The organizers of the 2001 Leadership Conference did a good job in difficult times. They deserve kudos for their efforts and for such a sterling selection of panelists. The conference was well-balanced, gave an excellent overview of Ukraine's future, and allowed a hearing for Washington's Ukrainian elite. General Krawciw's award was well deserved. As his rank and decorations attest, he is a real Ukrainian American hero, who not only defended the United States bravely, but also worked hard to restructure the military forces in Ukraine to insure Ukrainian independence.

Our conclusion: while the country continues to face serious challenges, the prognosis for Ukraine's future is good. To make sure that its next 10 years are even more productive, we believe the Ukrainian government needs a list of priorities. Such a list should include the suggestions that came out of this conference mentioned above.

We would like to underline some suggestions discussed: reducing corruption, privatization of the economy, ensuring freedom of the press, stopping the brain drain, attracting foreign capital for investment in Ukraine, developing tourism, applying for membership in NATO and the European Union. We might add one of our own: promoting better international relations through sports, literature and the arts.

Eugene Lysyj holds master's degrees in philosophy and economics, while his wife, Helena Lysyj Melnitchenko, has master's degrees in literature and education, They reside in the Washington area. and are working on a novel dealing with immigrants' acculturation into American society.

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