IN THE PRESS: Ukraine's presidential election (10/24/04)

IN THE PRESS

Ukraine's presidential election

Excerpted below are several commentaries and editorials pertaining to Ukraine's presidential election that were recently published by major newspapers in the United States and beyond.

"A Crucial Choice for Ukraine," by Sen. John McCain (R- Ariz.), The Washington Post, October 19:

"... In August I traveled to Ukraine to talk to government officials and opposition candidates. What I found was a sense that Ukraine was moving backward, not forward, on the road to democracy. Not only were the reports of intimidation against the opposition widespread, but there was also a pervasive expectation that the October election - and the second-round runoff three weeks later - will be rigged by the government. ...

"I believe that, if offered the choice, most Ukrainians would choose a future tied to the West. But many Ukrainians believe that they have been denied this very choice: While the West's door seems closed - neither NATO nor the European Union has offered Ukraine much hope of joining their organizations anytime soon - Russia's is always open. It would not be surprising if Ukrainian leaders increasingly aligned their country's ambitions with those of their Russian neighbors. As Zbigniew Brzezinski wisely remarked, with Ukraine subordinated, Russia automatically becomes an empire.

"So it is incumbent upon both the Western democracies and the government of Ukraine to reassess where things stand today. The Ukrainian government must end its siege of democracy and make the courageous choice to hold free, fair elections. ...

"Ukrainian officials must understand that more than their country's future is at stake in this election. Their reputations and their ability to conduct business are also at risk. If the oppression continues and this presidential election is stolen, the United States and Europe should institute visa bans against those responsible. These would not merely limit the ability of these officials to go skiing abroad; the visa bans would handicap their ability to conduct business in Europe and the United States. The Western democracies should also consider implementing other targeted penalties. If Ukraine's leaders wish to take their country further in the direction of Belarus, then they will be increasingly treated by the world like the leader of Belarus - an international pariah."

"East or West: Ukraine's election could alter relations with Russia and Europe," by Chrystia Freeland, Stefan Wagstyl and Tom Warner, Financial Times, October 12:

"... the principal contenders are Viktor Yanukovich [Yanukovych], the tough-minded prime minister, and Viktor Yushchenko, a former central banker who also served briefly as prime minister and now leads Our Ukraine, the main opposition party.

"The choice is stark. Mr. Yanukovich is backed by Mr. [Leonid] Kuchma, the presidential administration, the regional governors, the security services, the biggest television networks and most of Ukraine's business oligarchs. Mr. Yushchenko's supporters are liberals, nationalists and others united mainly in their desire to drive Mr. Kuchma and his associates out of power.

"Both men talk earnestly of pursuing Ukraine's relations with Russia and with the European Union. But in practice, Mr. Yanukovich has support from Vladimir Putin, who has privately ordered his oligarch to back Mr. Yanukovich. Mr. Yushchenko enjoys more favor in the west.

"Mr. Yanukovich stands for continuity. Mr. Yushchenko for change. Mr. Yanukovich is for an oligarch-dominated economy. Mr. Yushchenko is for open markets. Mr. Yanukovich is, by instinct, an authoritarian while Mr. Yushchenko wants to foster democracy. As Hryhoriy Nemyria, head of the International Renaissance Foundation, a liberal think-tank based in Kiev [sic], says: 'The choice is consolidating autocracy or consolidating democracy.'

"A win for Mr. Yanukovich would strengthen Russia's influence in the region and represent a big advance for the authoritarian ideas that dominate the former Soviet Union. A victory for Mr. Yushchenko would show that democracy can survive in the unhospitable terrain of Russia's borderlands. ..."

"Back in the USSR," editorial, Wall Street Journal, September 21:

"... The West can't afford to mince words in Ukraine. As in the 1990s, the strategically located country today again is a 'keystone in the arch' - in the words of Ukraine expert Sherman Garnett - in any Western strategy to stabilize the region. In Belarus, dictator Aleksander Lukashenko [Alyaksandr Lukashenka] will proclaim himself virtual president for life in next month's laughable "elections." All five Central Asian countries and all but Georgia in the Caucasus are autocratic. Mr. Putin fits right in with this retro-Soviet crowd.

"Economic and military might gives the U.S. leverage, while the EU can offer trade ties - perhaps even membership one day. The Kremlin was livid when George W. Bush criticized Mr. Putin last week. The U.S. needs to fill the void in the public debate. The silence of the German and French leaders was deafening in Moscow.

"A clean result next month would build on recent economic gains and make Ukraine more politically mature. A Ukraine as an example for its cousins in the ex-USSR would be a win-win for everyone - and a welcome bit of good news from that part of the world this year.

"More Straight Talk," editorial, The Washington Post, September 17:

"President [George W.] Bush at last has spoken out publicly against Vladimir Putin's dismantling of democracy in Russia, despite his personal bond with the Russian president and his administration's interest in preserving him as an ally in the war on terrorism. For that we commend Mr. Bush, who has taken a step toward backing up his rhetoric about 'defending freedom' around the world. And we have a follow-up suggestion: Mr. Bush should also talk about Belarus and Ukraine, two European neighbors of Russia where popular aspirations for political freedom are colliding with Mr. Putin's neo-Soviet project. ...

"Compared with efforts regarding Russia, the resources devoted by the United States to these two countries are pitifully small. A handful of U.S. officials have visited Ukraine and pressed for free elections - but Mr. Putin has met with Mr. Kuchma 10 times this year alone and recently asserted that relations with Ukraine were 'the first priority' of his foreign policy.

"Yet the Bush administration can still have an influence. It can promote the formation of a contact group of neighboring countries, such as Sweden, Poland and Slovakia, to support the cause of democracy; it can work with the European Union to press for international election observers, and make it clear that a rigged election will bring a united and firm response. Finally, Mr. Bush can say directly to Ukrainians and Belarusans [Belarusians] that he supports real democracy for their countries - and that in that respect, he differs with Mr. Putin."

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