UNITED NATIONS – More than 100 people gathered at the United Nations headquarters in New York to hear Prof. Timothy Snyder, who was the guest speaker at a discussion on May 16 that was hosted by the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the U.N. He was introduced by Yuri Vitrenko, charge d’affairs of the mission, and Prof. Snyder thanked the guests and former ambassadors of Ukraine to the U.N. in attendance – Yuri Sergeyev and Valeriy Kuchinsky.
Opening the talk, “A Dialogue with Timothy Snyder about Ukraine,” Dr. Snyder discussed the parallels between the lessons of the 20th century and his latest best-selling book, “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century.” But he also noted the difference between historians and diplomats – historians do not need to be diplomatic, constantly talk about the past and how Ukraine is a prime example of a country still overcoming tyranny.
From the framework of colonization versus de-colonization, in light of the contributing factors that led to the first world war, Dr. Snyder noted the Balkans, the Ottoman Empire, the Hapsburgs and others that saw the rise of national identity across Europe. But in the case of Ukraine, it had no sustainable state boundaries recognized by the international order of the time.
By 1923, the USSR had incorporated Ukraine into its structures and there would be an internal policy of colonization, first under Lenin and then under Stalin. These policies included collectivization of the agrarian regions, which resulted in famines and the Holodomor of 1932-1933. In the light of globalization at the time, Ukraine was a casualty between the land grabs of the Nazis and then the Soviets, Germany versus Russia. During the years of 1933 to 1945 more deaths occurred on the territory of Ukraine than anywhere else in the world, Dr. Snyder underscored.
This is a case that illustrates how bad things can get, but globalization can be catastrophic and Ukraine is at the center of the second globalization movement. The significance of Ukraine’s struggle for independence gets lost on many Europeans and Westerners, he added. Many see the European Union as an economic cooperation between countries to prevent war among the European countries. However, many Europeans did not learn the lessons of the past.
The struggle for colonization after the second world war was over for Western Europe. West Germany’s loss of the east that would last until 1989 put them equal to the Dutch, French, Portuguese, Spanish and others. The EU, Dr. Snyder said, integrates large spaces based on non-hierarchical principles. This is a departure from the imperialistic ways of the past. The equality of membership and rule of law principles underscores the foundation of that departure.
The EU’s enlargement from West Europe, to the east has included the Baltics, Eastern Europe, and, it is anticipated, Ukraine and Georgia. Europe does not have divisions among East or West, following the collapse of the Soviet Union during the 1990s. EU enlargement complaints, he said, were a Russian development in the 21st century.
The Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine at first glance appears boring, and many observers have noted its political agreements. But from the Ukrainian point of view, particularly from its youth, Dr. Snyder explained, it is not about east or west, it is about rule of law. Ukraine is a different case, as compared to 1990s Europe. Ukraine’s Revolution of Dignity brought Ukraine toward a European level of politics, which needs ongoing reforms, but the level of development of Ukraine’s civil society is what really makes it European.
It is puzzling for Americans to explain why people would want to belong to Europe. Ukrainians understand the situation on the ground and are tired of answering the question: why was there a war?
Russia policy toward the EU, Ukraine and the U.S.A. is against globalization. Russia is unable to join structures like the European Union, but will try to be respected as equals. In the process, Russia is attempting to bring the EU down to Russia’s level, and works to deny Ukraine’s EU entry. The invasion of Ukraine violated basics of rule of law, basic principles of sovereignty, international borders etc, Dr. Snyder continued.
Today, we no longer pretend that Russia is a democracy. The European Union is the real economic powerhouse of the world, historically better than the U.S. in terms of wealth and prosperity. We have changed our language in focusing on values rather than decadence, and in the 20th century, it was a Communist or Nazi utopia. Today, globalization has resulted in a generalized confusion, as there is a cyclical transition from contraction and growth in the market. Today we see the rise of Trumpism, the surge in right-wing extremism and isolationism.
Following the Revolution of Dignity in 2013-2014, Ukraine has shown Europe the future and Russia has shown its true colors, through its “hybrid war” against Ukraine and the West, with notable traits such as the creation of a psychosphere and a mental war in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Crimea and the Donbas. Moscow-spun lies included that Ukrainians were gay or fascists, or gay fascists, Dr. Snyder recounted. Russia’s “victory” in meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections was a “stunning success” for Russia and showed the power of influence of nonsensical falsehoods.
Ukraine’s success will come when it adopts European reforms to bring it on par as an economic success within the EU. The threats include Russian propaganda “fake news” stories and the perpetuation of the failure of globalization. Brexit has shown that Britain has returned to form as an empire, but it never was a British state. In the French presidential election, Marine Le Pen’s failure confirms France as an EU member and not an empire. Just as in 1930s with the collapse of globalization, and the rise of Hitler and Stalin, Dr. Snyder said.
More important, for now, is Ukraine’s success in its current politics, and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson showed his ignorance on the matter of Ukraine when he asked about why U.S. taxpayers should care about Ukraine. More misfortune awaits for Ukraine and the United States if Washington continues its ignorance of history.
Prof. Snyder fielded only a few questions. Askold Lozynsyj, former president of the Ukrainian World Congress, noted the reality of Russian aggression as something that has existed for centuries, and since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russian aggression has once again targeted Ukraine, under the guise of Russian response to the expansion of the European Union and NATO enlargement.
Prof. Snyder said that Ukrainian identity has been misunderstood by the United States, and within the confines of the 20th century, there has been a lack of Ukrainian policy by the U.S., which has led to many of the current issues facing democratic practices in the region. The youth of Ukraine will be more likely to adopt democratic reforms than the previous generations who lived under the Soviet system. The EU is more important for Ukraine than NATO membership and in the realm of geopolitics, the EU is more threatening for Russia as it represents the rule of law system that threatens the Russian elite.
Alex Mehrle of New York asked about how Euroskepticism is in conflict with the rule of law. Prof. Snyder explained that in Russia there is a naivety about the liberal order, similar to 1930s Germany and Eastern Europe. These countries are still overcoming the legacy of communism, and we are still combating against the excitement of reality with propaganda.
Orest Kyzyk, one of the organizers of the event, asked Prof. Snyder to underscore the talking points in his latest book “On Tyranny.” Prof. Snyder explained that the history of the American experience has not been threatened because of the democratic legacy, whereas in Ukraine, which is just in its political infancy, we have seen it struggle with the truth, immigration and being kind to language. Ukrainians have handled Russian tactics better than imagined. This brings into place corporeal politics. The Ukrainians saw that they had a future worth fighting for, whereas in Russia there have been waves of de-motivation amid sparks of opposition protests. Ukraine has been able to transform the threat from its neighbor into a motivating force for positive change.