Congress bans arms to Ukraine militia linked to neo-Nazis

The Hill ^ | 3/27/18 | Rebecca Kheel

[Cronos]

Ukraine's "problem" is it is trying to develop a sense of national identity and has little to root this in.

Since the 13th century, the East Slavs were split into Belarussians, Ukrainians (Ruthenians) and Moscowites.

The Muscowites won the cultural wars and Russia HAS high culture - arts, literature, music etc. etc

Poland was the dominant partner in the commonwealth that included the two East Slavic states and it was high culture

Then there was a massive influx of Jews and Germans from the 15th century onwards, such that entire towns (like Pinsk) were Jewish dominated, Jews then dominated industry and Jews were favored by lords to collect taxes from peasantry -- so the lords could have a handy scapegoat (Jews) later

When the awakening of nations happened in the late 1800s, Ukraine had no real high culture - it was village culture and most people -- even today -- identify not as Ukrainians but as "we live and are from here - tutajsi"

Jews, Poles, Russians are a threat to a fledgling nationalism as it provides an "other" who live in the very same place.

The Ukrainian nationalists are in a hard place - they have little to build on and they are in a post-nationalistic world. So they grasp at the only figures they can see in recent history - and those figures were like Bandera, horrible people. It is sad.