The west should stay out of Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in eastern Europe which borders Russia, but which also borders at least four member states of the evil European Union.  It contains the self-governing republic of Crimea.  The entire region has been an ethnic melting pot since time immemorial.

Ukraine used to be led by a corrupt prime minister called Yulia Tymoshenko.  Following the election of Viktor Yanukovych as president in 2010, she was prosecuted for abuse of office, found guilty, and sentenced to a lengthy prison term.  Her prosecution was condemned by the European Union as politically motivated.

On the one hand she deserved her punishment, but on the other hand Yanukovych was probably no less corrupt.  He has recently been ousted from office after a series of demonstrations instigated by western powers, and Tymoshenko has been released from prison early.

The current posturing by various world powers relates to the fact that the Russian president Vladimir Putin is unhappy with the ousting of Yanukovych, and is not ruling out the possibility of military action.  Many people in the Crimea see themselves as more Russian than Ukrainian, and that – combined with the military might available to the Russian president – could result in an easy victory.

While Yanukovych was a corrupt bully, he was also democratically elected.  By contrast, the leadership of the European Union are not elected, and are masters of the art of wasting other people’s money.  Yanukovych was removed from office by undemocratic means, and his replacement is a wealthy businessman who may or may not be abusing his position to further enrich himself and his business cronies.

The evil warmonger John Kerry has visited Ukraine to show support for this ill-conceived government, but a coward like him is no deterrent to a tough leader such as Putin.

Whether or not Putin orders military action in the Crimea, the west should take no part, either in terms of sending in troops or supplying military hardware to the enemies of democracy.

The west fought for control of the Crimea in the nineteenth century, and that war claimed more than half a million lives.  History must not be allowed to repeat itself.

Related previous post include:
Putin meets Kerry
Putin meets Cameron