NEW YORK – A unique symposium commemorating “The 25th Anniversary of the Modern Ukrainian State” attracted over 150 attendees to the Princeton Club of New York on Saturday, September 17. Described as a day-long academic conference by the event organizers, the two dozen voices present came not only from the world of academia, but also from international diplomacy, government office, journalism and civic activism.
In a format similar to previous panel discussions presented by the Center for U.S.-Ukraine Relations (CUSUR), one of the co-sponsors of this symposium, groups of three to four speakers at a time dissected Ukraine’s distant and recent past, followed by predictions and prescriptions for Ukraine’s near and farther future. The day was further enhanced by a detailed report on the Ukrainian military’s defense of their homeland, a screening of excerpts from an upcoming feature-length documentary about the “War for Democracy” in Ukraine and a live performance by the Ukrainian Chorus Dumka of New York.
For the attendees of the evening’s banquet, the day was capped off by speeches by three former Cabinet-level government officials.
Months prior to the event, the symposium’s program coordinator, CUSUR’s Walter Zaryckyj, as well as executive coordinator Tamara Olexy, president of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, began the process of crafting a celebratory program in the “Capital of the World,” befitting the historical significance of 25 years since the restoration of Ukraine’s independence.
Sixteen leading Ukrainian organizations local to the New York City area signed on as co-sponsors, including the Organization for the Defense of Four Freedoms For Ukraine, Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization, Shevchenko Scientific Society of America, The Ukrainian Museum, Ukrainian Academy of Arts and Sciences, Ukrainian American Bar Association, Ukrainian American Youth Association, Ukrainian Engineers’ Society of America, Ukrainian Free University Foundation, Ukrainian Institute of America, Ukrainian Medical Association of North America, Ukrainian National Association and the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America.
In addition to these organizations, as well as those represented by Mr. Zaryckyj and Ms. Olexy, this anniversary program was notably co-sponsored by the American Association of Crimean Turks, the oldest and largest representation of Ukraine’s Indigenous Crimean Tatar diaspora in America.
Right from the start of the day’s events, the perspective of Ukrainian diaspora organizations was included as an important voice in interpreting Ukraine’s past, present and future. Commenting on the history to which we are living witnesses, Roma Lisovich, treasurer of the Ukrainian National Association, kicked off the opening discussion between Ambassador Volodymyr Yelchenko, permanent representative of Ukraine to the United Nations, and Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), co-author of the Stability and Democracy (STAND) for Ukraine Act (currently working its way through Congress). In their prepared remarks, both Ambassador Yelchenko and Rep. Engel lauded the citizenry of Ukraine for the incredible progress in remaking their country, which has dramatically improved Ukraine’s prospects in just a few years.
Throughout the conference portion of the day, similar themes were brought up by the speakers, whether discussing Ukraine’s past or its present.
When “Taking Measure of Ukraine’s Distant Past,” Harvard University’s Lubomyr Hajda, the University of Alberta’s Frank Sysyn, Arizona State University’s Mark Von Hagen and the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine’s Yuri Shapoval demonstrated repeatedly via the historical record that the territory of modern Ukraine, by its geographic location or via the dynamic leaders of rebellion it has produced, played a critical role in the development of Europe and beyond.
Andrij V. Dobriansky
Rep. Eliot Engel (fourth from left) with members of the board of the SUMA Federal Credit Union.
When “Assessing Ukraine’s Recent Past,” Voice of America’s Director Emeritus Adrian Karmazyn, Rutgers University’s Alexander Motyl, the Royal Institute of International Affairs’ James Sherr and the Institute for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation’s Oleksandr Sushko brought up Ukraine in the context of contemporary events in other countries, and linked them repeatedly to the theme of rebellion when discussing the events of 1990, 2004 and 2013.
In “Divining Ukraine’s Near Future,” the RAND Corporation’s William Courtney, the McCain Institute’s David Kramer, the Atlantic Council’s Ariel Cohen and the director of Ukraine’s Institute of National Memory, Volodymyr Viatrovych, delved into the difficulties Ukraine will continue to endure because of Russia’s self-destructive and imperialistic actions.
In the panel “Contemplating Ukraine’s Further Future,” Janusz Bugajski of the Center for European Policy Analysis, the American Foreign Policy Council’s Herman Pirchner, and Yale University’s Yuri Sergeyev again returned to Ukraine’s central location in Europe, foreseeing the incredible influence it could bear in the event that the Russian Federation collapses, China seeks territorial expansion, or the existing post-World War II order fractures even further. Unfortunately, the Jamestown Foundation’s Paul Goble was unable to attend this panel at the last minute, but his prepared remarks were read by CUSUR’s Mykola Hryckowian, while Serhii Meshcheriak, formerly of the Council of Economic Security and Defense of Ukraine, filled in as moderator.
The morning and afternoon panels were separated by a special presentation during the catered lunch. Dr. Anders Corr, publisher of the Journal of Political Risk, and Dr. Phillip Karber, president of the Potomac Foundation, discussed Russia’s ongoing military invasion of Ukraine. With documentation gathered over the course of more than 70 trips to Ukraine since 2014, Dr. Karber’s footage and statistics both saddened and visibly angered some attendees, especially when the discussion turned to what additional assistance has already been authorized by the United States government, yet remains unsupplied.
Prior to the evening’s banquet, a final word was presented to the conference attendees by the president of the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America, Marianna Zajac, noted Wall Street Journal contributer Paul Roderick Gregory, and a member of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada and leader of the Crimean Tatar people, Mustafa Dzhemilev. All of the speakers had listened to the previous panel discussions, and were therefore able to comment on what had already been mentioned. With his home currently under foreign occupation, the other speakers ceded additional time for Mr. Dzhemilev to speak at length. Mr. Dzhemilev was equally deferential, however; he added crucial items of information, including facts about Russia’s re-nuclearization of the Crimean peninsula.
In a side room following the panel discussions, producer Peter Borisow screened scenes from the upcoming documentary “Breaking Point: The War for Democracy in Ukraine,” a new project by three-time Academy Award winning director Mark Harris. Chronicling the changes in the lives of a children’s theater director, a doctor, a rabbi and a TV journalist among others, the film attempts to show an intimate portrait of the effects of Russia’s invasion and the Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine, especially for those who risked their lives to create a more democratic, equitable and sovereign country.
Following the film screening, the Ukrainian Chorus Dumka of New York, under the direction of Vasyl Hrechynsky, appeared in their embroidered best to perform a spirited series of Ukrainian songs.
Even after 10 nearly uninterrupted hours of dynamic presentations at the conference, the best speakers, it seems, had been saved for last. During the evening banquet attended by over 100 patrons, three impressive speakers were presented by Ms. Olexy of the UCCA.
First, Gov. Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania, who had served as the first secretary of homeland security in 2003-2005, pressed the case for supplying Ukraine with lethal defensive weapons “now.” Hailing the contribution of Ukrainian immigrants to the United States, Gov. Ridge, a Republican, also expressed his dismay at his party’s choice of presidential candidate this time around, Donald Trump. He closed his remarks by declaring his intention to visit Ukraine in November in order to assess the situation on the ground in person and determine what additional assistance is needed.
Proudly proclaiming her immigrant heritage, Ambassador Madeleine Albright, who had served as secretary of state from 1997 to 2001, introduced herself as Marie Korbelová, daughter of Czech diplomats. Quoting Taras Shevchenko and Thomas Jefferson, Ms. Albright countered Russia’s claims that they were being provoked (“they are doing the provoking”), and called for Ukraine to be accepted as a full-fledged member of the Euro-Atlantic security structure.
She too said she was dumbfounded at the political rise of Mr. Trump. The secretary saved her fondest words for the next speaker, a personal friend who revealed the extent of their close cooperation in the late 1990s during his own remarks. Today Deputy chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Affairs, Borys Tarasyuk had previously served as Ukraine’s minister of foreign affairs in 1998-2000, and then again in 2005-2007.
A consummate diplomat, Minister Tarasyuk hailed both of his friends, Gov. Ridge and Secretary Albright, but also let slip that, prior to the banquet, he had a very productive side discussion with Secretary Albright, a prominent surrogate of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. The remarks were not altogether lacking in confrontation, as Minister Tarasyuk pointedly questioned the inadequate response of the Obama administration to Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Again, the issue of additional measures already authorized by Congress came up, but in the end, Minister Tarasyuk also hailed the enormous amount of support that had already been shared between the two countries.
Having previously presented the Ukrainian Historical Encounters Series event “Taking Measure Of The Holodomor” at the Princeton Club of New York in 2013, the Jurkiw Family Fund once again contributed to financially underwriting the event, as did the Self Reliance New York Federal Credit Union. Additional financial support came from the SUMA Federal Credit Union, Ukraine International Airlines, the Ukrainian National Federal Credit Union, the Nova UA Federal Credit Union, the multinational law firm Dentons, the Ukrainian National Association, the American Foreign Policy Council and several individual patrons.