In Ukraine, a Friend of Russia Stages Sweeping Political Makeover

wsj.com ^ | May 15, 2007 | MARC CHAMPION

[Tailgunner Joe]

Today, Mr. Yanukovich, 56 years old, is locked once more in a struggle for supremacy with the pro-Western Orange leader who beat him, President Viktor Yushchenko. But this time, the thousands of protesters occupying Kiev's Independence Square for the past month flew not orange, but the blue colors of Mr. Yanukovich's Party of the Regions, and the red and hot pink of his allies, the Communists and Socialists. They dispersed only when Mr. Yanukovich defused the crisis by agreeing to hold new elections -- for the second time in as many years -- after his rival dissolved parliament.

...one of his key backers -- Rinat Akhmetov, a billionaire metals magnate from Donetsk -- recommended he hire Paul Manafort, who had worked on then-Sen. Dole's 1996 presidential campaign. Mr. Manafort, now a prominent Washington lobbyist, had been advising Mr. Akhmetov as he explored taking his business, SCM Holdings, public on Western financial markets.

With another election fast approaching, Mr. Manafort declined in an interview to talk about the specifics of the campaign advice he gave Mr. Yanukovich. But according to people involved in the Party of the Regions' campaign in spring 2006, Mr. Manafort advised on such basics as how to target and appeal to voters. He also produced a slick campaign film and coached Mr. Yanukovich on his presentation.

"This is a person who is now his own man for his own time," said Mr. Manafort, noting that in 2004 Mr. Yanukovich served under an all-powerful president, Mr. Kuchma, and had limited latitude. "His vision is to have a relationship with Ukraine's historic neighbors, while integrating with the West over the longer term. Like Nixon to China, he's the only national leader who can do that."

[instantgratification]

I am surprised that Yushchenko is described as "pro Western". In power, he certainly had normal relations with Russia.

Yushchenko has, unfortunately, been a disappointment in office. Some of this is not of his own doing - he needed to form a coalition with Tymoshenko, and her policies as PM were not in Ukraine's best interests. However, Yushchenko also failed to investigate the massive corruption of the Kuchma era, or stop corruption under his watch. Indeed, there is every indication Yushchenko himself has benefitted from his position at the expense of ordinary Ukrainians, albeit not at the massive levels of his predecessors.

Polls list Yanukovych as Ukraine's most trusted politician. All in all, a sorry state for Ukraine.