The fast-fermenting crisis across Ukraine is still unfolding with the bid for independence in the contested Crimea. Though Ukraine has undergone numerous periods of turbulence during the past 20-odd years and especially since the 2004 "Orange Revolution," the present upheaval lasting for several months has again plunged the geopolitically important country on the edge of collapse.
The Ukraine crisis broke out abruptly and unexpectedly, but was actually ignited by a wide spectrum of thorny conundrums both home and abroad.
From a domestic perspective, the government has been used to neglecting the willingness of a certain number of constituencies when formulating major state policies, thus incurring a political participation crisis. When the ignored voters were strongly discontented with the government and the system, they resorted to violence, inevitably leading to bleeding scenarios.
However, we should tap into the underlying causes behind the current riots. On the one hand, because of its history scarred by wars and split over nationhood, the western region of Ukraine boasts a culture, ideology and religion similar to Europe, in particular Poland and the Republic of Lithuania, while the east has been Russianized to a certain degree. For instance, Ukraine's upper classes traditionally wrote in Russian instead of Ukrainian.
It should be noted, nevertheless, that cultural differences do not necessarily give rise to social conflicts and confrontations. The turmoil that has never died down throughout Ukraine's society can be called "Ukraine's crisis of European integration," which means social controversies are triggered by suspensions in the process of being integrated into Europe.
Plus, there has long existed an institutional deficiency in Ukraine. Its president, parliament and the opposition failed to cultivate an institutional culture, leaving political parties entangled in a zero-sum game with no room for compromise.
Last but not least, the political elite, as the major body of the constitutional democracy, exerts a significant role in the society as well as immense influence upon every single crisis. Although the Ukrainian government has set up the framework of checks and balances, outdated institutions are pervading across the whole society, and there are many legal grey areas. Political parties and elites selectively utilize laws and regulations to obtain maximum benefits.
Against a lackluster judicial institution and democratic system, the elite in the opposition party are keen on engaging in street politics that brings about immeasurable losses to the people.
Ukraine's elite is also unstable. They cooperate based on personal interest instead of political views and ideologies. Furthermore, they tend to amplify cultural differences and use them as a tool to mobilize voters, who end up in becoming a social force jeopardizing the stability of the whole society and the destiny of the nation at large.
On the other hand, Ukraine's special geographical position also plays a decisive role in its wretched fate. After the end of the Cold War, the West is still led by the US and the EU, while Russia has not blended itself into the so-called Western geopolitical system despite a series of changes in social system. And it is exactly in this geopolitical crevice that Ukraine has had to survive, whether actively or passively, by figuring a way out. That could explain why every time a political crisis struck Kiev, various competing actors, the US, the EU and Russia, began to squabble over which direction Ukraine should take.
We cannot afford to ignore the role of external powers in the Ukraine crisis. The EU and the US are solely preoccupied in supporting the opposition party, disregarding violent terrorist activities by extreme nationalist and neo-Nazi groups. Consequently the situation across the country has spiraled out of control.
The crisis will wield an irrevocably devastating impact on Ukraine's democratic transformation. However, it could serve as a harsh test for the political elite as well as a profound lesson for the public.
Friday, March 21, 2014
Ukraine’s political failure stems from selfish elite
The fast-fermenting crisis across Ukraine is still unfolding with the bid for independence in the contested Crimea. Though Ukraine has undergone numerous periods of turbulence during the past 20-odd years and especially since the 2004 "Orange Revolution," the present upheaval lasting for several months has again plunged the geopolitically important country on the edge of collapse.
The Ukraine crisis broke out abruptly and unexpectedly, but was actually ignited by a wide spectrum of thorny conundrums both home and abroad.
From a domestic perspective, the government has been used to neglecting the willingness of a certain number of constituencies when formulating major state policies, thus incurring a political participation crisis. When the ignored voters were strongly discontented with the government and the system, they resorted to violence, inevitably leading to bleeding scenarios.
However, we should tap into the underlying causes behind the current riots. On the one hand, because of its history scarred by wars and split over nationhood, the western region of Ukraine boasts a culture, ideology and religion similar to Europe, in particular Poland and the Republic of Lithuania, while the east has been Russianized to a certain degree. For instance, Ukraine's upper classes traditionally wrote in Russian instead of Ukrainian.
It should be noted, nevertheless, that cultural differences do not necessarily give rise to social conflicts and confrontations. The turmoil that has never died down throughout Ukraine's society can be called "Ukraine's crisis of European integration," which means social controversies are triggered by suspensions in the process of being integrated into Europe.
Plus, there has long existed an institutional deficiency in Ukraine. Its president, parliament and the opposition failed to cultivate an institutional culture, leaving political parties entangled in a zero-sum game with no room for compromise.
Last but not least, the political elite, as the major body of the constitutional democracy, exerts a significant role in the society as well as immense influence upon every single crisis. Although the Ukrainian government has set up the framework of checks and balances, outdated institutions are pervading across the whole society, and there are many legal grey areas. Political parties and elites selectively utilize laws and regulations to obtain maximum benefits.
Against a lackluster judicial institution and democratic system, the elite in the opposition party are keen on engaging in street politics that brings about immeasurable losses to the people.
Ukraine's elite is also unstable. They cooperate based on personal interest instead of political views and ideologies. Furthermore, they tend to amplify cultural differences and use them as a tool to mobilize voters, who end up in becoming a social force jeopardizing the stability of the whole society and the destiny of the nation at large.
On the other hand, Ukraine's special geographical position also plays a decisive role in its wretched fate. After the end of the Cold War, the West is still led by the US and the EU, while Russia has not blended itself into the so-called Western geopolitical system despite a series of changes in social system. And it is exactly in this geopolitical crevice that Ukraine has had to survive, whether actively or passively, by figuring a way out. That could explain why every time a political crisis struck Kiev, various competing actors, the US, the EU and Russia, began to squabble over which direction Ukraine should take.
We cannot afford to ignore the role of external powers in the Ukraine crisis. The EU and the US are solely preoccupied in supporting the opposition party, disregarding violent terrorist activities by extreme nationalist and neo-Nazi groups. Consequently the situation across the country has spiraled out of control.
The crisis will wield an irrevocably devastating impact on Ukraine's democratic transformation. However, it could serve as a harsh test for the political elite as well as a profound lesson for the public.
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