Posted on 01/14/2015 7:32:49 AM PST by McGruff
There were times in Ukraine’s recent history when even the country’s military brass were kneeling before the U.S. Literally. In June 2013, then-U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Tefft received the saber of the Ukrainian Cossack in the city of Kherson from a kneeling Ukrainian high-rank military official. Mr. Tefft nowadays is serving the country as an Ambassador to Russia where no such honors are even imaginable.
But that was then—a previous regime.
On the surface, today’s Ukraine is much more favorably disposed toward everything Western and everything American because of the exciting wind of transformations that swept through the Ukrainian political landscape last year. Its political culture looks modern, attractive, refined and European. For example, at the end of last year a new law was passed that allowed former citizens of other countries to participate in Ukrainian politics and even the government, in case they denounce their former citizenships. The reason given was the fight with notorious Ukrainian corruption. Apparently, in a country of more than 40 million people, Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk (called “Rabbit” by his citizens) couldn’t find a dozen or so native-born yet not corrupt professionals for his government.
Now three former foreigners—ex-American Natalia Yaresko (Minister for Finance), ex-Lithuanian Aivaras Abromavičius (Minister For Economy and Trade) and ex-Georgian Alexander Kvitashvili (Minister for Public Health)—are firmly established in their new cabinets. They are just the beginning. They gave up their U.S. and European passports with only two benefits in return: a $200-a-month salary and the chance to build a prosperous new Ukraine.
In a strange twist of fate, the Ukrainian ministers during their meetings now have to speak hated Russian—former foreigners do not speak Ukrainian well enough and locals do not speak English at the level necessary for complicated discussions on how to save a Ukraine economy that is disappearing before their eyes.
The problems they are facing are overwhelming. The new minister for economy, Mr. Abromavičius, knows that the country is in fact bankrupt. “To expect that we are going to produce real as opposed to declarative incentive programs is unrealistic,” he declared. In other words, the new Ukrainian budget is nothing but a piece of paper. But without this piece of paper there will be no new money from the European Bank and the IMF.
The first steps he has taken so far are controversial.
The New Ukraine Is Run by Rogues, Sexpots, Warlords, Lunatics and Oligarchs
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Copycats. Everyone is ALWAYS trying to be just like the good ‘ol USA.
Rogues, sexpots, warlords, lunatics and oligarchs? Are we talking about the U.S.?
Sounds like a wild and crazy bunch of coconuts.
Look at the bright spot - they could have been politicians.
Don’t worry though. Everything is down to a vast conspiracy according to Glenn Beck and the evil nationalists in European countries are trying to destroy the world!
... Or this is just business as usual for Eastern Europe... And increasingly us!
Vlad thanks you for supporting his regime.
And then Europe invaded for its interests,,,,like today.
It is to both laugh and cry. Ain’t it the truth.
1. Collectivization of all private property. 2. Murder of most farm owners (Kulaks). 3. Ukrainian Holodomir (murder by starvation) (and this only brings us to 1940)
The dictator at the time of 3. was a Georgian, not a Russian, and the shock troops for 1. and 2. were largely Latvians and Lithuanians, and these were done to Russians in Russia as well.
But hey, let's not obscure the anti-Russian sentiment underlying Ukranian nationalism with facts.
Ukraine is in a state of flux being pulled between the West and Putin - not an enviable position. Some fools, like Paul Craig Roberts, want Putin to take control of Ukraine because of their blind hatred for America.
There is a faction in America that is supposedly conservative, but because of justifiable Obama-hatred, have taken a decided anti-American stance. They blame all aspects of American society for what they see as wrong - government, industry, religious institutions, the military, etc. No one passes their sniff test. You can tell them by their over-heated rhetoric and angry tarring of everyone and everything with the same brush. No one is right but them. They display utter paranoia and should not be trusted as truthtellers.
Give me a break. The Russians called the shots regardless of the nationality of the puppet at the head of the so-called government. Go crawl back in bed with Putin. Anti-Russian sentiment, as you call it, has almost always been borne out as prudent.
And this is different from the United States, how?
We’ve got a lot of pro-Putin cranks that hate anyone that doesn’t support president for life Putin. Some of them even hate America now.
*sniff...You had me at sexpots!
Sexpots?
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