The West Needs to get Tougher with Russia

By Oksana Bashuk Hepburn

Several weeks ago, the Government of Canada hosted Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Arseniy Yatsenyuk in Ottawa.  Talks with Canada’s Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Defence ranged from peace and security issues, assistance in establishing an independent judiciary, to trade.  However, the Minister’s real purpose may have been to seek support for Ukraine’s shaky democracy.

Since President Victor Yushchenko handed Parliament to his adversary of the Orange Revolution, Prime Minister Victor Yanukovych, the pro-Russian has been gnawing away at presidential powers and threatening Ukraine’s sovereignty.  The President was passive.  Now, with a call for a snap election he means to reverse the situation. After much hassle, including the involvement of battle-ready security forces, the election date is set for September 30.

The youthful Minister focused on matters close to Canadians.  “Ukrainians love Canada”, he said.  Indeed they do; and with good reasons.

During the Soviet era, over one million Canadians of Ukrainian descent sent care packages of unofficial aid to Ukraine. Canada was among the first to recognize Ukraine’s independence. Ukrainians are impressed that their culture thrives in Canada with some three hundred Ukrainian language schools compared with three for the some ten million Ukrainians in Russia, the Minister said.  They are proud that their kindred made Canada an agricultural world leader, setting an economic course to become now the number one country in the world, according to the United Nations.  When the Ukrainians came in the nineteenth century by the hundreds of thousands, there were no roads, housing, or schools.  No jobs, language training, resettlement programs-- no social safety nets.  Dropped off unceremoniously where train tracks ended, they turned idle prairies into a national treasure chest.

Minister Yatsenyuk thanked Canada for making technical assistance contributions of some $18 million last year, to fund projects ranging from nuclear arms reduction, setting up of credit unions to military and management training.

That was nice of him to do so.  However, Canada’s response for Ukraine’s contributions here is insufficient and requires more than simply throwing money at the problem.  Democracy in Ukraine is constantly threatened by Russia.  Bad enough as this is, often the threat stems from a pro-Russian mindset among friendly Western powers.  This undermines not only Ukraine’s efforts at democratization but global peace as well.

Consider this ...  Western democracy’s greatest achievement of the 20th century was the implosion of the USSR.  Some 400 million people in 15 different republics were liberated from one of the world’s bloodiest colonial powers to embrace democracy. This feat exceeds the Allies’ great victory over Germany during WWII.  This magnificent victory notwithstanding, Western states still cow tow to Russia. Its needs, rather than those of the new sovereign states have dominated bilateral and multilateral agendas. In consequence, Ukraine and Kazakhstan were pressured to centralize nuclear power in Russia’s hands or forfeit Western aid.  In the mid 1990s, Ukraine’s entry to NATO was squashed because Russia protested; a much needed energy pipeline from Turkmenistan to Europe postponed because it by-passes Russia.  Meanwhile, the defeated Cold War power becomes a G-8 Member.  Instead of punishment for crimes against humanity it renews global power via the energy sector.  For greater control Russia plans exclusive pipelines to Europe and China. It obliterates Chechnya and eliminates critics like journalist Politykovskaya and ex-spy Litvinenko.  It causes grief in North Korea and Iran.  Closer to home, it celebrates ideological victories in Venezuela, Nicaragua and eyes strategically important Canadian companies.

Had the West paid greater attention to its Cold War victory, we now would not worry about Russia’s growing power and belligerence.

With President Yushchenko’s new found voice, a strong and independent Ukraine is a much needed check on Russia’s imperial designs. But it needs help from the West. Although it was strong enough to deny Russia the fraudulent presidential election, Ukraine lacked savvy political leadership to sustain the victory. Western friends, distracted by Iraq and the fight on terrorism, failed to lend support.

The West has a second chance to be more vigilant in democracy building there.  Was this the Minister’s main message?  Canada, champion of democracy and Ukraine’s friend, can do more.

It must.  It might start by using its formidable international reputation to ease Ukraine into Western international institutions like NATO, WTO and the EU.   Integration will ensure that Ukraine becomes what it has aimed to do since independence-- a Western democracy trading with the world and being part of Europe in more ways than just geography.  Furthermore, Canada needs to convince others in the democratic family of the benefits of a more Westernized Ukraine to world peace.

Over a century ago, when Canada needed help to tame and develop its vast lands, Ukrainians responded.  Now is the time to reciprocate the favour.
Oksana Bashuk Hepburn,  President of U*CAN Ukraine Canada Relations Inc., was an OSCE elections observer and commentator, has written a novel about a three-generations of women whose lives overarch Ukraine and Canada from WWII until now.