Sustaining Ukraine's breakthrough: EU expertise and markets are essential [Soros]

>>Yes, but the Balt countries and Poland, closest to Ukraine culturally, did very well.<<

In fact Poland is largely on par with Russia economically, Estonia is only a little bit better while the rest of Baltic countries are falling behind since their association to EU. A loss of Russian trade ties, EU regulations and workforce exodus to Western Europe are primary reasons.

>> Interesting here is that Germany is just assumed to have the responsibility for Central Europe. And for Greece. And for Spain...<<

Isn’t it? Both nations aren’t on par with Germany in terms of economy. In Spain they aren’t working afternoon and in Greece they don’t like to work at all. Yet, they like a German-sized wages, pensions and benefits. Entitlement is a thing they like best, considering their average attitude to work.
That is what makes these nations far from their means, they need Germany to pay a bill but there is outrage if the Germans wants any political control in return.
I can see parallels to a grown kids in their late 20s sitting in their parents’ basements, still getting lunch money from their dads but really disappointed as far as a regime upstairs want them to keep out from whores, alcohol and demands switch TV off before midnight.
It is the case for the Ukraine and the rest FSU vs Russia as well.
Independent nation-state means a solvency in the first place. It is neither German nor Russian choice if their neighbors have chosen the other way.

>>I sincerely hope that these Ukrainians have enough sense and enough morality to stay away from the likes of Soros.<<

Don’t count on it. I really thought that an ideas of his involvement are far-fetched this time despite all the fingerprints around a revolt.
This article just makes it all clear.

Without arguing about "on par" (visit so called "Kaliningrad" and then cross over to any place in neighboring Poland to see how much "on par" with anything the Russian Federation is), the RF has the petroleum products to sell. and that is all RF sells. That is not a healthy economy to begin with, plus if compared to other petroleum-rich countries Russia is doing as well as Nigeria.

Certainly no one in Poland, Hungary, or the Balt states wants to go back to where they were before 1991, except may be the pro-Soviet Russian remnant in the Balts. The peoples seem to like that EU thing, on balance.

Regarding Germany, I was facetious. Obviously, Germany could play a marshall plan to all of them, I am just amused how everyone assumes they will. Personally, I wish Germany just restored the Holy Roman Empire and be done with it already.

I agree that Spain and Greece simply have a different attitude about work, and that they should not be in the EU.

Speaking of feeling sorry, I feel sorry for the adults who still believe in Big Bad Wolf, who in this case happens to be George Soros, but could easily be someone else, and to some such adults that I know in that part of the world it is someone else, and George Soros himself is barely noticed there. Parochialism is believing that everything obvious and important to you is equally obvious and important to people in other places on the planet.

>>Certainly no one in Poland, Hungary, or the Balt states wants to go back to where they were before 1991, except may be the pro-Soviet Russian remnant in the Balts. The peoples seem to like that EU thing, on balance.<<

LOL. Yep, I suspect the reason is similar to why not many Russians want to go back to where they were before 1991.

>>Without arguing about “on par” (visit so called “Kaliningrad” and then cross over to any place in neighboring Poland to see how much “on par” with anything the Russian Federation is)<<

What do you thinks a Canadian feels driving into Michigan from Windsor, Ontario? Detroit is a first thing they see. Some ignorant village folks thinks that the whole USA is just like that and the opposite image is just a propaganda pushed via Hollywood movies.

>>, the RF has the petroleum products to sell. and that is all RF sells. That is not a healthy economy to begin with, plus if compared to other petroleum-rich countries Russia is doing as well as Nigeria.<<

It is a myth, started in 1970s when Soviet currency wasn’t convertible and oil was a primary source of dollars for USSR. Just look at a structure of Russian economy (CIA fact book or something) right now. It is surprisingly similar to a US economy, just smaller. BTW, extraction of mineral resources doesn’t make much over 10% of total economy for both.

Thank you for saying that. Each time someone mentions Soros I begin to wonder if he knows about Santa Claus.

It is strange how, of all places, in America, people think that the world revolves around a currency speculator who spends his pocket change on social-democracy projects.

the reason is similar

Similar for those Russians who are not Soviets. Many, -- too many, -- however, would very much want to go back to 1991, or better still, to the time before all that perestroika that killed their sacred cows. They are the kinds that now call for military intervention in Crimea, just like they called for the military intervention in Hungary and Czechoslovakia, who show up for demonstrations carrying portraits of Stalin, who created a cult of the WWII "victory" that gave the Russian people 40 more years of oppression. That is the huge difference between the European countries that split off the Soviet Union and the countries that still feel the pull. This winter, one more country decided to have their own destiny. Maybe one day, Russia will emerge from the rubble. At this point I see free countries in various degrees of economic comfort and I see the Russian Federation doing what Soviets do best: threaten and decay.

Detroit is a first thing they see

I know America and I know Russia. Trust me, it is filled with "kaliningrads", whereas outside of each American ghetto there is good comfortable suburban life.

It is a myth, started in 1970s

What does RF sell abroad beyond oil, gas, lumber and computer programmers? And I am not arguing that American economy is healthy, far from it.

>>Similar for those Russians who are not Soviets. Many, -- too many, -- however, would very much want to go back to 1991, or better still, to the time before all that perestroika that killed their sacred cows.<< How many is too many? Are 10% and shrinking too many? >>Detroit is a first thing they see I know America and I know Russia. Trust me, it is filled with "kaliningrads", whereas outside of each American ghetto there is good comfortable suburban life.<< Sure, but Kaliningrad is nor yet near as bad as Detroit and we are still comparing Poland and Russia, not US and Russia. Average Russian city with population over 1mln is better that any Polish city short of Warsaw. Polish highways are a joke. It might be better than Russian average but you would hardly find any wider than 2 lanes. Neighboring 'communist' Belarus is light years ahead of Poland in terms of roads. In fact sane Poles are fully aware of it. That is their one pic they are posting to their Russian-bashing nationalist compatriots:

>> It is a myth, started in 1970s What does RF sell abroad beyond oil, gas, lumber and computer programmers? And I am not arguing that American economy is healthy, far from it.<< The same US does. You'll be much surprised again but manufacturing actually makes larger input into total Russian economy than it does to US economy. Have you seen many 'Made in USA' things lately?

Are 10% and shrinking too many?

Apparently, however you measure it, the Russian Federation remains culturally mired in the Soviet era, so yes, too many. It's not just the old folk. Kholmogorov and Prosvirnin, for example, are young and appear anti-Soviet till a crisis struck and put them in full-Soviet bring-in-the-tanks kill-the-fascists mode.

Polish highways are a joke

Don't get me started about Russian highways.

manufacturing actually makes larger input into total Russian economy than it does to US economy

What manufactured good does RF sell abroad? I know about the weaponry for the 3rd world, gee, thanks, -- anything else?

The pirate government in Ukraine is already selling out the country to George Soros, the IMF, and Goldman Sachs. Pretty soon they’ll flood the country with hordes of Third worlders and begin teaching five year olds the joys of homo anal sex.

As a sovereign country they are free to choose the source of their credit.

Just for you, I have this excerpt from here You can get it translated whole in the browser, my Chrome did a good job of it. The author is of East-Ukraine origin, not a Maidan sympathizer.

For what Ukraine does not like Yanukovych? Why it is that of anyone of his predecessors, the beams of nationwide hatred crossed on him? The reasons are many.
[...]
For style of government, full of contempt for the people that goes back to the Russian autocratic tradition.
[...]
For raiding [property]. [...] Over the past two years, Ukrainians caved new fines, taxes and other forms of obtaining money. And this despite the constant increase in prices and chronic debts on wages. [...]
[...]
Today, when people are protesting not only in the west and center of the country, but also in the south-east, in Nikolaev, I remember how the powers[?] of Nikolaev raped and burned alive a girl from a poor family Oksana Makar. Only mass protests forced the authorities to put criminals in jail.
I remember how there in the Mykolayiv region, in the village Vradievka, people took by storm the police department, where barricaded maniacs in uniform. They raped and killed the girls on the streets of the village with a hammer, just out of boredom. And they were bored because they could afford all - because they were covered by the regional police department and the prosecutor's office, where they had to take back monthly money from villagers robbed under any pretext. They had a plan for the collection of tribute.
I remember Vitaly Zaporozhec from Brovars'ke region of Kyiv county, -- he received 14 years for the murder of a rural district policemen. According to neighbors, that cop terrorized the whole village, police authorities did not respond to complaints. Since 2012, for the entire area Zaporozhec is a true hero
I remember the struggle with drug dealers from Nezhin, when, after the promulgation of the video confessions of the "pushers" at the press conference, the activists were thrown into prison by the mafia law enforcement that covered for the pushers. The drug dealers then were released.
I remember the excitement in the grocery market "Shlyakh" in Svyatoshynskyi district of Kiev, where police "cover" suddenly raised requisitions from $ 1,000 to $ 1,500 a month, and when the traders refused to pay, announced the market "illegal" and began to strip market, beating women . And that was the first time they showed themselves - those who are now called "Right sector." Powered nationalists expelled traders "elements" of the market, and then stormed the police station and Sviatoshynskyi and gave it a great pogrom.
I remember teacher Valentina Moskalenko, whom the bandits, called now "titushki" was pressed in front of the whole country and in full police nonintervention to sign over her father's house in the center of Kiev because the house lot was liked by a deputy from the Party of Regions.
Last July, the political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko noted that the population of Ukraine lost the fear of the police. At the same time, sociologists said that Kiev was ready for revolution. "Tension has grown in society so that people can easily pick up on any action, - said at the time member of" Liberty "Andrew Mohnik. - And it will not be singing Maidan, as in 2004, it can develop into something more. Where would it flash, is difficult to predict." And now it has flashed.
When today I hear the mutterings from the Yanukovych environment that it is all the machinations of external forces, I want to say: "Look in the mirror. You are not only monsters, but also fools."

Emphasis is mine.