Once again, the world is watching as protesters peacefully march against a corrupt regime and a rigged election. This week’s events in Ukraine follow a pattern we have seen before: in Georgia last year, and in Serbia in 2000, the old regime was a corrupt amalgam of Soviet-style authoritarianism and post-Soviet gangster capitalism. In each case, the old regime was swept away by reformers who refused to accept fraudulent elections.
The situation in Ukraine, however, is far more dangerous, because it is far more important. On Russia’s western border, Ukraine sits upon one of the world’s major geo-political fault lines. With NATO and Europe in the west, and Moscow in the east, Ukraine lies between two potentially antagonistic great powers, and is of considerable importance to both.
Ukraine represents the jewel of Russia’s former empire, and the latter’s most significant neighbour. Vladimir Putin claims to be intervening in Ukraine on behalf of the many millions of Ukrainians of Russian descent who fear persecution under a more Western-friendly government. However, his true motivations are far less benevolent; the election of a pro-West, reformist government in Kiev would leave Russia isolated, with the corrupt regime of Aleksandr Lukashenko in Belarus as their only ally in Eastern Europe. More importantly, the trend towards pluralism and liberalism represents a significant ideological threat to the current decision-makers in the Kremlin. Vladimir Putin knows that if the regime in Kiev is swept away, his regime will likely face the same fate in a few short years; no doubt he will be doing all that he can to ensure the reformers under Yushchenko fail.
For Canadians, and for our allies in the EU and US, the stakes are just as high. The conflict in Ukraine is a battle of the values of democracy, pluralism, and liberalism against the authoritarian capitalist system that has been consolidating power in Eastern Europe. For those of us who are chilled by the recent slide towards totalitarianism in Russia, we should be doubly chilled by the notion that it may spread past Russia’s borders. But there is also an upside: in Ukraine we now have an opportunity to see pluralism and liberalism brought to Russia’s doorstep, and to see that the powers of authoritarianism in Europe are kept at bay.
In Ukraine, the people have an opportunity to achieve with words and protests what shock and awe could not achieve in Iraq: the building of a free and prosperous society in a place where dictatorship has taken root. It is imperative that Canada, Canadians, and the rest of the free world realize that the outcome of the Ukrainian election is vitally important to all of us. There is too much at stake to feign neutrality, or to embrace apathy. We must make it clear that that we, as Canadians, stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. And when we speak of this week’s elections, there must be no ambiguity. Yushchenko has won, and the will of the people must be heard.
Alexandra Zalucky is the Director for External Affairs at the University of Toronto’s Ukranian Student’s club. Christopher Hendricks is a recent Political Science Graduate.
