keep putin oligarchs afloat takes system

For Ukrainians, it brought disappointment and fear. This breach of the traditional principle of division of power also goes completely against Western values.

Yet very few Ukrainians wanted this stability and cohesion to be the result of a consolidation of power within a very limited circle. The Price of Political StabilityĪfter the political infighting of 2005‒2009, the fact that the president, the government, and the parliament are acting in concert could be considered a positive step for achieving stability in Ukraine. In today’s Ukraine the corporate interests of a limited number of oligarchs prevail. Under Yanukovych, the older interest groups and some newer people close to him are trying to reverse the Yuschenko-era developments, and to ensure that their interests are not subject to the oversight of a relatively strong president. While the older oligarchs maintained their position at the top, the appearance of new players began disrupting their monopolies. When Viktor Yuschenko came to power in 2005, however, he brought another group of big businessmen closer to the circles of power, giving them access to assets earlier controlled by Kuchma’s oligarchs. Although they were influential, Kuchma managed to keep them under his control, guaranteeing the dominance-if only fragile-of national interests over corporate ones. Wealthy businessmen started gaining influence in the mid-to-late 1990s, playing an important political role during the presidency of Leonid Kuchma. The oligarchs themselves, however, seem to have different plans. However, they are not willing to pay for measures that will ultimately benefit only oligarchs. Ukrainians are willing to make sacrifices, provided that the reforms implemented will benefit them and their families-even if the gains are not immediate. They no longer accept being ashamed of their country they want their country to be respected again. Even if the political process is far from orderly, many Ukrainians have already become accustomed to democratic freedoms and will not be willing to give them up. Staying in power is a matter of survival for Yanukovych and his entourage.Ĭreating such a system, however, will not be easy in today’s Ukraine. They will do everything to establish their control over the different branches of government, putting their people in the right places, and silencing those who speak out against them.

Staying in power is a matter of survival for Yanukovych and his entourage.

His goal appears to be to create a system that will allow him and his network of oligarchs to gain and consolidate control over Ukraine and its assets, benefitting from them without external interference. While he is not ideological-and doesn’t have an evil plan to subvert Ukrainian democracy and turn the country into a police state-he also doesn’t seem to want to improve the lives of average Ukrainians. The simple truth is that Yanukovych is neither one nor the other. He is alternately seen as a tyrant-in-the-making or an effective strongman, a weak personality controlled by oligarchs or a politician trying to rise above them, a pro-Russian president or one afraid of a Russian takeover. On the other hand, calls for sanctions against the current administration are also growing in volume and intensity. A small minority has adopted a “wait-and-see” approach and is willing to give Yanukovych a chance to prove that he can successfully implement painful reforms that will lead to a better future. Growing fears that Yanukovych’s policies are rolling back Ukraine’s political freedoms have provoked different reactions. There is widespread concern in and outside Ukraine about the country’s course. First and foremost, though, he promised to deliver the stability and reforms that many in Ukraine and the West had long awaited.Ī year on, however, the situation is controversial. When elected, Yanukovych declared that Ukraine’s status as one of the few post-Soviet states to rank high in international ratings of democracy and political freedoms would be preserved and carefully nurtured. Viktor Yanukovych took office in February 2010 against a backdrop of low public expectations-the country was in relatively weak economic shape, fraught with internal political rivalries and divisions, and facing a decidedly clear sense of “Ukraine fatigue” in the West.

Keep putin oligarchs afloat takes system