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BELRAUS & UKRAINE.   Term Paper ID:28298 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Political & economic problems & struggles faced by 2 emerging nations after Soviet collapse. Different approaches to growth.... More...

7 Pages / 1575 Words 9 sources, 27 Citations, APA Format $28.00 Return to List of Papers

Paper Abstract: Political & economic problems & struggles faced by 2 emerging nations after Soviet collapse. Different approaches to growth. Paper Introduction: In the troubled aftermath of the Soviet collapse, newly independent, sovereign nations Belarus and Ukraine have sustained a similar array of political and economic woes. Decades of Soviet rule have rendered both Belarus and Ukraine ill-equipped to adopt stable, functioning, and least of all democratic, governments. Today, the political climate of these nations is ghastly; in Belarus, authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko is in his sixth year of a subversive, autocratic presidency (Time International, 1999, p. 42). In Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma won re-election to the presidency after a campaign rife with political violence, murder, and censorship of the media (The Economist, 1999, p. 19). On the economic front, each nation has endured wild inflation, lack of foreign investment, and declining standards of living. Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Kuchma maintains that Ukrainian voters have chosen to pursueEuropean integration, and he insists that if this is to be possible,Ukraine must restructure its debts and receive "U.S. 2 ). Minsk journalist Yuri Drakokhrust explains,"The Moscow political elite think about Belarus maybe once a week...butLukashenko thinks about Russia 24 hours a day"(Caryl, 1998, p. The state-owned media weresteered to favor Kuchma, and over the years preceding the election allsorts of political detractors, civil servants, leading bankers, and policechiefs have been sacked or murdered (The Economist, 1999, p. Lukashenko, autocrat and opportunist, has focused his energies onprovoking the West and aligning the East -- how effective he will be tothis end remains to be seen. 56). 21st century scarce"(p. In a 1999interview with Newsweek, Kuchma discusses the need for Ukrainian-Westerncooperation. InBelarus, union with Russia and a new Soviet agenda are of paramountconcern. 56). Dec 1 , 1998 p162."In Big Daddy's Shadow: Belarus Dictator Alexander Lukashenko Maintains a Soviet-Style Grip on His Long Suffering People." Time International. Belarus, on the contrary, has taken a stark anti-Western approach toforeign policy. References"Annual Report 1997-Belarus" International Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights. On the flip side, Ukraine is attempting to open up as many channelsbetween the West as possible, and to ready itself for integration withWestern Europe. In 1999, Kuchma won re-election in Ukraine as a reform partycandidate, defeating his communist opponent. 24).And amidst this corruption, Kuchma himself has been quite generous with hisfriends, providing them means to control much of Ukraine's lagging economy(The Economist, 1999, p. 42). Clearly, these first years of the 21st century will reveal much. However, in spite of these similarities, a critical ideological pointseparates these two young nations: Belarus, under Lukashenko, is focusedupon union with Russia, both politically and economically (Caryl, 1998, p.38). 38). Thus, mostof Ukraine's citizens live in poverty, while very few have grown rich.Kuchma's favoritism towards his friends and political allies has put muchof Ukraine's economy in the hands of oligarchical tycoons, who often investtheir profits abroad (The Economist, 1999, p. According to a 1999 TimeInternational article, Lukashenko is "turning Belarus into a Sovietwonderland where salaries are miserly, human rights rare and signs ofthe... Nov 29, 1999 v154 i21 p24."The Ukrainian Question." The Economist(US). Economically, Belarus has not fared well as a result. May 17, 1999 v153 i19 p42."Right, Left and Center: If Ukraine's President Kuchma is to Reform the Economy, He Must Attract the Country's Liberals." Time International. 39). In Kuchma's defense, his efforts to open up Ukraine's economy tocompetition have been hampered by communist opposition in the parliament;as a consequence, Ukraine has only managed to privatize on a small scale,and foreign investment remains weak (Time International, 1999, p. 19). Unfortunately for Kuchma, in the parliament the Communists representthe largest non-majority faction, and a substantial paralysis has resulted;thus, "the high hopes of a decade ago...have given way to a bloatedbureaucracy that feeds on corruption"(Time International, 1999, p. Lukashenko has locked Western ambassadors out of theirhomes, offered to sell weapons to Iran, and backed Yugoslav PresidentMilosevic during the Kosovo crisis. In 1996, Lukashenko calledfor a referendum to expand presidential powers under a new draft of theConstitution, effectively placing most all of the political organs ofBelarus under his explicit control. 39). Deemed"Lukashenkonomics" by Christian Caryl, Belarus's system of "protectionismand easy credit for industry, increased state regulation, and generousprinting of money" has not benefited the masses(1998, p. Oct 26, 1998 p38.Caryl, Christian. Each nation remains heavily effected by Russianactivity, and yet each reacts to that activity in strikingly differentfashion. 56). May 6, 2 v355 i8169 p56."'We Need Massive Assistance': Ukraine's President on Chechnya and the Region's Future." Newsweek. On the positive side, The Economist suggests that Kuchma has drivenUkraine in some favorable directions: It[Ukraine] has given up its nuclear weapons, made promises...to close its Chernobyl-type reactors...joined NATO's Partnerships for Peace...scorned Russia's efforts to resurrect the rump of the old Soviet Union under a new name...and has sought...to join the European Union(1999, p. 24).Hopefully newly appointed Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko will manage toimplement reforms more conducive to competition on an international scale.The West endorsed his appointment heavily in 1999 due to his seemingcommitment to economic reform; also, as The Economist points out, "he isneither visibly corrupt nor hankering for the old certainties of the Sovietera"(2 , p. The desire in Belarus is for a Soviet-styled economy, and Lukashenko promotes the idea that only "little Belarus"stands up to the oppressive United States and Western Europe (Caryl, 1998,p. Retrieved from the World Wide Web June 1, 2 : http://www.ihf- hr.org/ar97bel.htm.Caryl, Christian. 162). In 1999, thetreasury began printing million-ruble notes that were worth roughly 3dollars apiece, and village food stores routinely carry nothing but wine,bread and sausages (Time International, 1999, p. 26). Interestingly, in spite of Ukraine's Western leanings, economicallyit has not fared much better than Belarus. It is these aspects of the Ukrainian government which separate it fromits Belarussian counterpart. 39). Because 6 %of Belarus's trade is with Russia, the devaluation of the ruble hasresulted in a soaring cost of living (Caryl, 1998, p. A convergence with Russia would ideallyrestore that which was torn apart after the 1991 Soviet Union collapse, andLukashenko is plainly nostalgic for the old Soviet form of rule (Caryl,1997, p. To neglect a child in itsformative years is to lay the groundwork for a rebellious teenager.Belarus and Ukraine are almost 1 . Facing billion dollar debts to Russia, Ukraine worriesthat one day Russia may be inclined to use that debt as a means to dictateand impose political terms- and that prospect seems justification enoughfor Western aid (The Economist, 2 , p. Dec 2 , 1999 v134 i25 p26. 19). "Proud to be an Old-Style Soviet." US News and World Report. In this sense, though Belarus and Ukraine were,in many ways, cut from the same Soviet cloth, their fates as independentnations may ultimately land them in very different places. 42). President Lukashenko has utilized unlawful measures to gain controlover all sectors of public life- undermining all of the prerequisitesnecessary for a democratic and open society. In the final analysis, both Belarus and Ukraine are experiencingawkward growing pains. Ukraine, though boasting political ills similar to those in Belarus,does not experience extreme political authoritarianism under PresidentKuchma. 48). 42). Decades of Soviet rule have rendered bothBelarus and Ukraine ill-equipped to adopt stable, functioning, and least ofall democratic, governments. 26). And yetold divisions still may persist among struggling nations trying to findtheir way. 38). and the West(Newsweek, 1999, p. "Bellicose Belarus." US News and World Report. 19). On the economic front, each nationhas endured wild inflation, lack of foreign investment, and decliningstandards of living. President Lukashenko, called by local Belarussians "the Batka"- BigDaddy- is an utterly authoritarian ruler who has spent the bulk of hispresidency emasculating the parliament, censoring the media, and revivingthe secret police (Caryl, 1997, p. In spite of around $1 billionof Western aid, The Economist reports that "most of Ukraine's industry isstate-owned, extremely inefficient, riddled with corruption, and run bymanagers who show no signs of wanting to change"(2 , p. April 7, 1997 v122 n13 p48."The Dream Deferred: Now the New Borderland Between East and West, Ukraine Seeks its Own Path to Prosperity." Time International. Ukraine, on the other hand, is the third largest recipient ofAmerican bi-lateral aid, and president Kuchma is bent on increasedpolitical, economic, and military cooperation with the U.S. After disbanding the elected legislature in 1996, Lukashenko's hand-picked parliament has given him unilateral support; former head of stateStanislav Shushkevich reports: "He[Lukashenko] controls everything -- fromthe courts to the number of cows milked"(Time International, 1999, p. Inan era of globalization, unity and convergence seem inevitable. And,Lukashenko's politics may be working- in 1998, newly appointed RussianPrime Minister Primakov paid a symbolic visit to Belarus immediatelyfollowing his election (Caryl, 1998, p. Since that time, human rights activists have been labeledanti-government opponents, newspapers and radio stations have been blocked,and political dissidents have been arrested, exiled, ormurdered(International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, 1997). 42).Lukashenko feels a deep connection with mother Russia, and has pushed for aRussian-Belarussian union that may one day establish a new commonparliament (Caryl, 1998, p. Union with the EU and the West mark a coursequite different from the one Lukashenko has envisioned. In Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma won re-election to the presidencyafter a campaign rife with political violence, murder, and censorship ofthe media (The Economist, 1999, p. 2 ). Nov 2 , 1999 v353 i8146 p19."Victor Yushchenko, Ukraine's Faint Hope." The Economist(US). National voting processes on thereferendum were corrupt and did not accurately represent the consent of theconstituency. Today, the political climate of these nationsis ghastly; in Belarus, authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko is inhis sixth year of a subversive, autocratic presidency (Time International,1999, p. Nonetheless, the political and economic climate in both Belarusand Ukraine provide examples of corruption, censorship, and oppression. 48). Many Europeans (andAmericans) feel that if Europe is to be truly stable in the upcomingdecades, then Ukraine had better be free and clear of any external neo-Soviet pressures (Time International, 1998, p. As with children, young nations must be nurtured and guided bythose with more experience and influence. In the troubled aftermath of the Soviet collapse, newly independent,sovereign nations Belarus and Ukraine have sustained a similar array ofpolitical and economic woes. support in financialinstitutions such as the IMF and World Bank"(p. 38). 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