radon1 wrote:So, you cannot have Russian foreigners in Ukrainian offices, but you can have other foreigners in Ukrainian offices.
Well, it just seems odd, you had Russians come in from Russia (Russian Russians are not the same as Russian speaking Ukrainains any more than Americans and Canadians are the same just because we share a language. Russian speakers in Ukraine often have never even been to Russia, it's a place on tv, they grew up in Ukraine, they speak Russian but often serve in the Ukraine army, there are Russian speakers in the right sector militias too.)
Some of these Russian leaders that came in from Russia, just took over these places they made new republics in. Who is going to grant them Ukrainian citizenship now, the rada? President Poroshenko? After they've been fighting them for a year, as a foreign incursion terrorist insurgence? It would be like Assad giving all those foreign fighters in ISIS, Syrian citizenship. That's asking a bit much, in a peace deal. Some of these Russians from Russia may be Russian intel, they may be under direct control from the kremlin, so how can Ukraine just accept them as governors. Anyhow, this is up to the Ukrainian government, I'd just say if there's a deal for autonomous government in the east then require there be new elections and as the law already stands only Ukrainian citizens can run for office.
The 4 foreigners appointed to the cabinet were granted Ukrainian citizenship the same day. Anyway this is a small point. My take on it is that obviously Kiev likes its ex-soviet comrades in arms in the region -- Estonia, Poland, Lithuania, Georgia, and they've hitched their wagon to the United States, but needless to say they have issues with Russia.
This thing has come a long way. I think Putin lost. The reality is that there is an American in the Ukraine cabinet, top level post -- finance -- in charge of the economy. Our vice president's son works for a Ukrainian company, too, not sure if he is actually in Ukraine or not though.
And you know, Estonia actually has an American president. He's better than the Americans we elect over here in America (
). I think this is a good move, it'll be good for them. There must be some kind of internationalist thing going on in Ukraine now, otherwise they wouldn't appoint a Georgian, Estonian, Lithuanian, and American.
I just find that interesting, it's not just the cabinet posts, Ukraine has and is making a lot of ties with these other ex soviets and they are all on the same side about fears of Russian hybrid war incursion. This could wind up being a new kind of bloc in east europe, a new independent but pro west warsaw pact; with Poland, Ukraine, the Baltics, Georgia, Lithuania.
And it's not all uncle sam's fault, either, these countries are neighbors of Russia that have issues with Russia.
US diplomats and business interests have just been waiting in the wings for decades now, never pushing Ukraine, always saying Ukraine needs to work with Russia, but now Ukraine has made its choice and the US has a lot of influence now and these business interests are likely going to do a lot there -- this new Ukrainian finance minister was in charge of an American capital fund involved in Ukraine, for the last 20 years.
(again, I'm dubious about banksters, but she seems very competent and like she's got a plan for what needs fixed over there)
Actually, foreigners in the state offices are a great progress for them. They finally manned up and accepted, with or without the help from the western "partners", that they are unable to put forward a leadership of their own. Because whoever local is brought to any position of power, immediately engages into thievery as though there is no tomorrow (not too different from Russia though, but probably much worse.).
We agree. Corruption is worse in Ukraine than Russia, far far worse, but Russia has a similar problem too. That's big of you to admit that.
Corruption ("thievery") can happen ANYWHERE, by the way, it can and does happen right here in the US. Only good strong anglo-saxon rule of law and honest government and an independent FBI and judiciary can keep people honest.
We've had lots of corruption in the US, in our history. Mafia corruption in government in NYC, in the past, and Chicago. So it's not like America is superior and giving lectures, this can happen anywhere if it's allowed.
Right now, we have "meta" corruption with hedge funds and such, and what they get away with. It's not as bad as Ukraine or Russia, but still, it's as bad as the people and government will allow it to be. We have smaller scale corruption, like in West Virginia how the coal and chemical companies buy off all the pols with campaign donations and that's how Charleston's water got so polluted there was a drinking ban on it for weeks.
And places like Sicily, and Italy, and Greece, and Spain, have far worse corruption than northern Europe.
It's not that anyone is better than anyone else, this corruption can happen anywhere that it is allowed to be in.
The more that corruption is eradicated, the better an economy can be, and that's just an economic fact of life. Ukraine's new finance minister knows that, so that's good, this is some help coming in for them and they're all on the same team and she's a Ukrainian citizen now. I think she's already been over there for 20 darn years anyway.
I think things may work out for Ukraine, you get an American like that in the cabinet and in the top level meetings, and they work with Merkel and Washington, this is going to get them on the right track long term and then I will be proved right in what I have said all along -- they can have just as good economy and life as Poland and Estonia does, if not better.
And in the end, Russia will still be doing business with them too, and if Russia will stop fighting it then Russia can be making money in Ukraine again, instead of losing money.
P.S. You frame it as Ukraine admitting they can't run themselves with their own people, but that's not true. Poroshenko is a strong president, and their PM is pretty good too. What they've done through this whole last year *is reach out to the rest of the world* more than they ever have before. They've made allies, in this struggle with the kremlin.
Even bad press is good press, as they say, and Ukraine's been in the consciousness for a year now. Nobody had ever even heard of the place before. That's all good, long term. Pro west government, open society internationalist vibe, good business climate -- that's going to bring people and investment in.
There's no future in being an isolated ex soviet republic nobody's ever heard of, but there is a future in becoming an internationalist kind of place, modeling the West, like Estonia did and like Poland did. Ukraine has a lot of growth potential, nowhere to go but up.
I do read your things though and learn a lot from what you post, I know you're well informed, we just differ on who we side with. But you know, the whole damn thing is a big mess over there. Ukraine may wind up being a archduke ferdinand after all and just dragging everyone into a big huge mess -- yet we cant give up east europe -- can't let a Syria go on forever, in Europe -- it's a tough problem.)
