I read an article from Reuters, found here, that details the conflict currently occurring in Ukraine between western, pro-EU, liberal protesters and the eastern, pro-Russia, government-supporting populace. Russia accuses the U.S. of arming the Ukrainian "rebels" (the pro-EU side). Furthermore, Russia advises the Ukrainian government to use military and police forces to put down the attempted "coup". Washington accuses the Russian government of pressuring Ukraine to not join the EU by threatening economic sanctions.
The internal conflict between the pro-European and the pro-Russian in Ukraine interests me. The Ukraine, more than any other former soviet republic with the exception of Russia, wishes to be back in the USSR. However, that sentiment is primarily among those that hold nationalistic (but not too nationalistic) and generally conservative viewpoints. Ukraine was the second strongest economy in the old USSR and was also one of the most influential. There are only minor differences in the ethnic make-ups of Ukrainians and Russians; they are both Slavic peoples, and Kiev was actually the seat of the first "Russian" empire. So, naturally Ukrainians, at least historically, have had a relatively easy time integrating with the Russian overlords.
The pro-EU side of things perhaps has a better argument for Ukraine to join the EU in economic terms of mutual benefit. The EU, when all of the countries lying within are taken into account, has the largest economy in the world by quite-a-bit, and most developing countries that join the EU benefit greatly. In addition, there is a general trend in the world's history towards the creation of larger sovereign entities - the trend toward cosmopolitanism. Similar to what Diogenes of Sinope once famously declared, our polis is becoming the world.
The EU, undoubtedly, has some selfish desires to satisfy in this situation; the aspiration of a European Union involving Ukraine is not altruistic. The roots of the EU lie in the attempt to compete with and triumph over the United States economically. Europeans needed to band together to even compete with the US. What better way to assist the EU in this task than by admitting another nation, and a nation with an already strong economy at that. So, the reason why the EU would accept Ukraine into its fold is likely at-least partially motivated by their own personal benefit, not what would be best for the Ukrainian people.
Russia made the declaration that the US is arming the so-called Ukrainian rebels. Now, normally I tend to take the anti-US side of things, and we have been known to topple sovereign - even democratically elected - regimes in the past, but Russia likely is exaggerating there claim that the US is arming the rebels. If the dichotomy, that Ukraine can either join the EU or join the CIS, is presented, then the US doesn't have any clear strategic choice in the matter. The two different ways neither help nor directly harm the US. If Ukraine joins with Russia, then our rival (but not enemy), will gain influence and power, but the Russian economy is still far weaker than ours. If Ukraine joins the EU, then our greatest economic competitor becomes stronger, but we are on friendly terms with Europe and militarily they do not pose a threat. So, why then would the US have such a compelling concern regarding the outcome of this Ukrainian dilemma either way?
The far more likely reason that Russia would make such an assertion is that it wants the Ukrainian government to react against the rebels in its favor. If the Ukrainian government subdues the rebels, so to will the major opposition against a closer economic relationship with Russia be subdued.
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