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Ukraine seethes after Russian language law voted in (1 Viewer)

Bump for more viewers. Powerful indeed. There is likely no equivalent here as we don't have a previous and recent master like the Ukrainians do.

 
Protesters, led by opposition members of parliament defending the role of Ukrainian as the only state language, had massed in front of a building where President Viktor Yanukovich was due to hold a press briefing.
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T
The bill, which will not become law until first Lytvyn and then Yanukovich have signed it, would recognise Russian as a "regional" language in predominantly Russian-speaking ares, enabling its use in the public service.
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linkImagine that: allowing another language besides "the only state language" to be used. The horror.

:lmao:

 
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What sparked the protests?

The protests began in November, when Ukraine's president, Viktor Yanukovych, did a U-turn over a trade pact with the European Union that had been years in the making.

Yanukovych refused to sign the agreement, which would have strengthened cooperation with the European Union, opting instead for closer ties with neighboring Russia.

Since November 21 hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have taken to the streets of Kiev to demand that the EU deal be signed. The epicenter of the protest has been in the city' central Independence Square, known as the Maidan.

The demonstrations are the biggest the country has seen since the Orange Revolution which toppled the country's government nine years ago. Protesters in Ukraine see the demonstrations as a way of choosing between Europe and Russia.

CNN contributor David Frum says the stakes are even higher now than they were in 2004-05: "Upholding Ukrainian independence is a deep concern, not only to the Ukrainians, but to all the free countries of Europe -- and thus to the United States... What's at stake in the streets of Kiev is the future of the European continent."

Why did Yanukovych refuse to sign the EU deal?

Viktor Yanukovych, who has been in power since 2010, said he could not sign the trade and political association deals with the EU because of Ukraine's "complex economic situation."

He said Ukraine could not afford to sign the deal, alluding to economic pressure from Russia, which had threatened its neighbor with trade sanctions.

"The Ukrainian government will suspend the negotiations for signing the Association Agreement with the EU, until we find a solution for the situation is found and when the drop in industrial production and our relations with CIS countries are compensated by the European market, otherwise our country's economy will sustain serious damage," said Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Yuriy Boiko when the EU deal was suspended.

Ukraine's new revolution

Ukraine's tug-of-war

Putin reacts to Ukraine unrest

The economics of Ukraine protests

Russian President Vladimir Putin has not publicly admitted pressuring Yanukovych into foregoing the agreements, which would have moved Ukraine further from Russia's sphere of influence, instead insisting he wants the country's difficulties to be resolved.

"I very much hope that all political forces of the country will manage to come to an agreement in the interest of the Ukrainian people and solve all the piles of problems," Putin said in his State of the Nation address on Thursday.

But as Ulrich Speck, visiting scholar at the Carnegie Europe think tank in Brussels, wrote in a piece for CNN, Putin wants to see Ukraine -- and other former Soviet republics -- brought back into line with Russia "through integration into a Moscow-led customs union which in the future shall be transformed into a fully-fledged 'Eurasian Union'."

Another factor in Yanukovych's decision not to sign the deal is likely to have been the EU's demands that he free former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, his political opponent, from jail.

Russia said Thursday December 12 that the European Union is trying to bully Ukraine into signing a free trade deal against the wishes of the majority of Ukrainians.

"The EU offers a token package, which is not of any interest to the Ukrainian government," Alexei Pushkov, head of the Foreign Affairs Committee in Russia's Parliament, told CNN's Hala Gorani, who was sitting in for Christiane Amanpour.

Tymoshenko was found guilty of abuse of office in a Russian gas deal two years ago, and sentenced to seven years in prison in a case widely seen as politically motivated.

On Thursday December 12th, The EU's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, spoke to Yanukovych and told CNN afterwards that he "still wishes to sign the association agreement with the European Union."

Pushkov said he was not so sure.

"He never actually rejected the possibility of signing a deal with the European Union," he said. "But he said on many occasions that he is not happy with the content of the deal."

Why is Ukraine torn between the EU and Russia ?

Ukraine protesters clash with police

Ukraine protests a fight for freedom

Protesters topple Vladimir Lenin statue

Poroshenko: I'm proud of this country

Ukraine is the biggest frontier nation separating Russia and the EU. Once part of the Soviet Union, the country gained its modern Independence in 1991 following the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Since then, Ukraine has made an effort to move towards Western ideals when it comes to politics and human rights, but the nation is still ranked 144th out of 177 countries in Transparency International's corruption index.

The Ukrainians who have taken to the streets in recent weeks say they want to see a better-governed, less corrupt and politically liberal country, more closely aligned with its western neighbours.

"People see a prosperous, well-governed EU next to their borders -- in sharp contrast with their own economic and political misery," wrote Speck, in his piece for CNN. "That's why they are on the streets now, in Kiev and elsewhere."

Under Soviet rule, many Ukrainian farmers lost their lands and homes, and many ethnic Russians settled in the Ukraine. Under Soviet Rules the country's people their language and culture all suffered.

"No nation suffered more from Soviet communism than the Ukrainians," wrote Frum in his recent piece for CNN. "Ukrainian farmers lost their lands and homes to Soviet collectivization... millions died in the man-made famine that followed... their language and culture were stunted under Moscow rule; their intellectuals and writers were suppressed, banished, murdered, and defamed."

This caused a split which still exists in the Ukraine today, where a strong east-west divide remains, with the East of the nation being mostly Russian-speaking, with a large ethnic Russian population, and the West of the country being Ukrainian.

Ukraine's economy has been slow to follow its western neighbours who were also under Soviet control-- Poland, for example, where the economy has grown exponentially.

Poland was not part of USSR, but can say "also part of the Soviet Union or under Soviet control -- for example, Poland, where the economy has grown exponentially."

By contrast, Ukraine's economy has deteriorated further and has suffered its worst years since the fall of the Soviet Union..

Many Ukrainians hope that an EU deal would offer the chance of economic recovery.

Why is Russian gas a key issue?

Ukraine with a population of over 45 million is heavily dependent on Russian gas to keep the country running during its bitterly cold winters. Its geographic location it is also a key transit country through which gas flows to many countries in Europe.

This puts Russia in a commanding position -- energy is a lever the Russians have used in the past, either by cutting off supplies in mid-winter (most recently in 2009) or by promising price cuts or increases.

Ukraine, with a population of 45 million, is heavily dependent on Russian gas to keep the country running during its bitterly cold winters.

How does the situation affect the rest of the region?

The West -- the EU, together with the US -- has been working on its relations with former Soviet Bloc countries for over two decades, with the aim of restoring democratic rule and improving quality of life for Ukrainians.

It views the decision by Ukraine, the largest of the former republics, not to partner up with the EU as bowing to Russian pressure.

Ukraine is something of a pawn between Russia and the West. For the West, the deal would mean its reach would spread further east; by contrast, the Russians see the Ukraine as key to holding on to their turf.

When asked about the situation in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted it was a "domestic issue" and that it is the prerogative of the government to decide whether to sign the agreement.
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This is key:

Once part of the Soviet Union, the country gained its modern Independence in 1991 following the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Since then, Ukraine has made an effort to move towards Western ideals when it comes to politics and human rights, but the nation is still ranked 144th out of 177 countries in Transparency International's corruption index.
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The commitment to democracy did not end with the end of the Codl War - it continues and we should do whatever we can as a nation to help those seeking to guarantee democracy and democratic rights there.

 
Lutherman2112 said:
SaintsInDome2006 said:
Putin is a fascist.

There I said it.

Obama should be defending free speech here.
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WTF does Putin have to do with this?
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Mr. Putin is putting the screws to the Ukraine economically to keep them from developing closer ties with the EU. Some percentage of Ukrainians see having good relationships with the western European nations as the best way out of their rickety and corrupt economic situation. Mr. Putin would like to have them dancing to his tune instead and is not above turning off the gas to remind them of what he can do.

 
If Obama were to bomb Russia, it would vault him into the best POTUS of all time IMO. Just wipe those ####ers off the map already.

 
roadkill1292 said:
Lutherman2112 said:
SaintsInDome2006 said:
Putin is a fascist.

There I said it.

Obama should be defending free speech here.
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WTF does Putin have to do with this?
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Mr. Putin is putting the screws to the Ukraine economically to keep them from developing closer ties with the EU. Some percentage of Ukrainians see having good relationships with the western European nations as the best way out of their rickety and corrupt economic situation. Mr. Putin would like to have them dancing to his tune instead and is not above turning off the gas to remind them of what he can do.
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The EU should have paid off Yanukovych the way Putin did and this wouldn't have happened.

 
roadkill1292 said:
Lutherman2112 said:
SaintsInDome2006 said:
Putin is a fascist.

There I said it.

Obama should be defending free speech here.
Click to expand...
WTF does Putin have to do with this?
Click to expand...
Mr. Putin is putting the screws to the Ukraine economically to keep them from developing closer ties with the EU. Some percentage of Ukrainians see having good relationships with the western European nations as the best way out of their rickety and corrupt economic situation. Mr. Putin would like to have them dancing to his tune instead and is not above turning off the gas to remind them of what he can do.
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Thank you.

 
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-president-backs-down-signs-peace-pact-protesters-n35171'>Ukraine President Backs Down, Signs Peace Pact with Protesters

He agreed to early elections and to surrender some of his powers after 77 people were killed as a geopolitical tug-of-war over whether Ukraine should embrace the West or Russia turned violent this week.

 
glumpy said:
Ukraine President Backs Down, Signs Peace Pact with Protesters

He agreed to early elections and to surrender some of his powers after 77 people were killed as a geopolitical tug-of-war over whether Ukraine should embrace the West or Russia turned violent this week.
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Orange Revolution II, hopefully.

Ukraine belongs with Europe.

 
Ukraine's parliament has just approved a resolution that allows for the release of Yulia Tymoshenko, a former prime minister and opposition leader who has been in jail since 2011. Tymoshenko's arrest, ostensibly for a natural gas deal she signed with Russia while in office, is widely considered to have been political. She was a major rival to President Viktor Yanukovych and ran against him in the 2010 presidential election.


The parliament, which has 442 seats, approved the resolution by an impressive 310 votes, including dozens of lawmakers in Yanukovych's party. Technically, the vote does not directly call for Tymoshenko to be freed, but amends the country's criminal code in a way that seems likely to lead to her release.


Over the past 24 hours, Ukraine's parliament has passed a series of resolutions that aggressively undermine Yanukovych, curbing both his actual power and his legitimacy as national leader. This may actually be Ukraine's best shot at ending its three-month crisis and averting disaster. But it's an even bigger deal than that, because of what it means not just for Ukraine's present crisis but for its future as a fledgeling democracy.


Here are some other resolutions that parliament has passed in the last 24 hours: ordering security forces to pull back, amnesty for jailed protesters and firing the interior minister who led the crackdowns. These don't just call for an end to the crackdown, but take much of that authority away from the president entirely.


Ukraine's three-month crisis has pitted protesters and the European Union on one side vs. the Yanukovych government and Russia on the other. All sides had been escalating rhetoric and action. So the fact that parliament was able to step in and force a de-escalation was exactly what the country needed: a mediator who has the authority to impose a solution, and that has the legitimacy of a democratic, domestic institution. It had to be Ukrainians fixing this, not Russians or Western Europeans.


That the resolutions were supported by lawmakers from Yanukovych's own party help drive home their authority, which is awfully important, given how polarized the country can be by politics and demographics. This also dramatically undermines Yanukovych, in both fact and appearance.


That could help solve one of the biggest sticking points in the crisis: Protesters say they won't leave the streets until Yanukovych steps down, but he's hesitant to outright resign without at least holding elections first. But if the parliament can make him a lame duck and remove his authority and/or legitimacy, that could help satisfy protesters in a way that doesn't require Yanukovych to step down immediately.


Those are all reasons that these parliamentary resolutions have a great chance, along with compromise deal signed today by Yanukovych and opposition leaders, at helping to end this crisis peacefully. But that's not even the most impressive thing about them.


What makes this an even bigger deal is that, while foreign countries have played a role, it's ultimately Ukrainians pushing through a resolution, and doing it democratically. Most of the time, these sorts of crises end when one side is simply defeated outright, or cuts a middle-of-the-night deal brokered by foreign powers. But what's happening right now in Kiev is being driven by procedural, by-the-letter votes in the country's own parliament. In many ways, it's a victory not just for but by democracy and the rule of law.


And that's maybe the most amazing thing about Parliament so aggressively undermining Yanukovych — that they're doing it democratically, within the rule of law, following all the rules of procedure and form. That’s just extremely rare in "transitional" states in the long process of developing from an authoritarian to democratic system, particularly post-Soviet states. It’s a big deal and a really promising sign for Ukraine’s future, for its ability to adhere to democratic norms and institutions, which is really much easier said than done in transitional states.
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This whole thing is incredible. Bad week for Putin. First the Russian hockey team gets eliminated in the quarters and then he loses Ukraine.

ETA: still some bad outcomes possible here. The South and East outnumbers the population in the West in Ukraine and it's very possible that their loyalty is strong enough to Russia to still end up with the same results after new elections.

 
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