Soros In Ukraine

aim.org ^ | December 27, 2004 | Cliff Kincaid

[Destro]

Soros In Ukraine

By Cliff Kincaid | December 27, 2004

The people of Ukraine suffered tremendously under communism and deserve their freedom. It's heartening to see them turn out for free and fair elections. But we should be under no illusions about how or whether American interests will be served by the victory of one side or the other in those elections. The fact is that the candidate dubbed "pro-Western" wants to pull Ukraine's troops out of Iraq, while the alleged "pro-Russian" candidate wants to keep them there.

An "Embassy row" column by James Morrison in the Washington Times captured the contradictions, noting that Eduard Prutnik, a chief adviser to the Ukrainian prime minister Viktor Yanukovych, had visited Washington and noted that billionaire George Soros, who poured millions of dollars into efforts to defeat President Bush, is also spending millions on the campaign against Yanukovych.

The other candidate, Yushchenko, who wants Ukraine's troops out of Iraq, is supposed to be pro-Western and pro-American. A blogger by the name of Daniel Brett says that Yushchenko is pro-European Union and "closer to the Old Europe Rumsfeld detests…. To understand Yushchenko, you have to understand the politics of the EU. The visionary values that drive the EU and its enlargement--the desire to create a new, assertive super-power independent of U.S. influence--are being forged by those Rumsfeld views with contempt. And Yushchenko shares this vision."

The American Enterprise Institute on December 10 sponsored a symposium on the events in Ukraine titled, "Ukraine's Choice: Europe or Russia?" That may be a more accurate characterization of what's at stake. Notice that it wasn't framed in terms of Europe, Russia or America.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Ping

[GSlob]

Now they'll have one more voice in the chorus, and a whole lotta tanks and rockets.
What they will get in their chorus is one more basket case. Look at former East Germany - how much money has West Germany sunk into it? And Ukraine is bigger and more backward, thus it will take more. The quality of these tanks and rockets was amply demonstrated in places like Iraq, and it was not high, just like that reactor in Chernobyl. If EU manages to keep a better control on the arms exports from Ukraine than has been exercised until now, it would be a net plus. Ukraine would soak up a lot of EU resources (good, otherwise these could be employed towards confrontation with US), and Ukraine's withdrawal from Russian orbit would weaken Russian vampirial ambitions (also good).

[A. Pole]

Personally I'm on the side of freedom even if they don't agree with us.

What type of freedom do you mean? Freedom from religion? Freedom to ignore the will of the populations which do not want to be merged with Turkey and other Muslim states?

[A. Pole]

We need to keep the Ukraine out of the Russian sphere. No use letting Putin rebuild the Soviet Union.

Yes, we should get European Union instead.

[ProudVet77]

The EU doesn't worry me, it's an annoyance not a threat. There are too many countries with their own agendas to make it cohesive, whereas a rebuilt USSR with a dictator in solid control would be cohesive.

[Destro]

...unless said chemical it benefits the opposition candidate's campaign.

[Destro]

You are a liar - the Yanuk's position would keep the troops in Iraq until after the Iraqi elections and they would be partially wirthdrawn.

[chilepepper]

the relation between ucrania and russia is very much like the relation between korea and japan. like korea, ucrania has always felt opressed by what is ethnically its "bigger brother", and now wants some space to breath, and to speak its own language.

[NeoCaveman]

Yuschenko's wife worked for Reagan and Bush 41

[Destro]

To me it is more like England and Wales.

[Destro]

So what? What office was his wife elected to? None.

[Tailgunner Joe]

You're an anti-American commie. You were against the war in Iraq from the beginning. You stood with the anti-war commies and jihadists against the USA.

[NeoCaveman]

So what? What office was his wife elected to? None.

Neither was Hillary from 1992-2000 but that didn't mean she had no influence.

[NeoCaveman]

To me it is more like England and Wales.

Make it England and Ireland and I'd agree. Interesting, both Ukraine and Ireland had "famines"

[Just mythoughts]

Got to laugh at one who ignores past 100 years of history.

I have yet to see Putin pulling up stakes in North Korea or telling Castro that doing it the commie way has been bad for humanity. Putin keeps itching about foreign troops in Iraq, could it be those Russian advisers helping Saddam butcher his own.

As for the Euros, Putin could not wait to climb into bed with Chriac or the Germans, little late now to start itching about the Euros making hay with the Ukrainians.

[nopardons]

bttt

[Destro]

You are a liar who results to insults - See how mucg traction you get calling me a pro-jihadists when I have been posting against Islamists since before 9/11.

[Tailgunner Joe]

Not to mention Putin said he wants Ukraine to join the EU.

[Tailgunner Joe]

Yes and you were banned for comparing 911 to the bombing of Serbia, implying that we got what we deserved. You should be banned again commie.

[Destro]

I hate to make such comparisons because it means you ignore the unique history of this region. By the way, there was famine in Russia as well. The Soviets - Communists/Marxists in general - value the urban city dweller of industrialized cities more so than the rural peasants. They consider the rural peasant an enemy (because they tend to be loyal to royalty and religous) and starved the farmers because they wanted to keep their cities fed.