‘Three strikes and you’re out: Ukraine is a divided, failed, rogue state’
Ukraine has failed economically, politically and culturally because of the break between its own people. It is a rogue state because the current regime came to power illegally, in violation of international and Ukrainian law, said political analyst John Bosnitch.
Violent clashes erupted between police and protesters in the Ukrainian capital on Sunday night near the Presidential administration building. Trouble broke out when police tried to prevent demonstrators from setting up a makeshift camp.
Monday marks the third anniversary of the bloodiest day of the Ukrainian uprising. Marches to commemorate the Maidan activists and soldiers killed in the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine are held every year in Kiev.
RT: The difference between what people were fighting for and what they finally got is huge: Ukraine is still not part of the EU and NATO; inflation is high, poverty is rife and corruption rampant; the country is divided, and the conflict in the east recently escalated. What do you make of the consequences of the Euromaidan revolution? Was it worth it?
John Bosnitch: First of all, I wouldn’t call it a revolution – this was a foreign-directed coup d’état. We have to use the correct terminology here. Furthermore, the results speak for themselves. Ukraine is now a divided, failed, rogue state. You’ve got the worst of everything. The country is divided, it is a failed state economically, politically and even culturally because of the break between its own citizens. And it is a rogue state because the manner in which the current regime came to power was illegal - in violation of international law and, of course, Ukrainian law. So, that is three strikes, and you are out here in America.
RT: Do you believe the deaths of people in the east of the country are being ignored in the west of Ukraine and by the new government? Why are they receiving so little attention?
JB: Obviously, the government in Kiev is only ruling over a rump state. And their chances of ever reasserting their authority over the eastern part of the country are slim. Only through military action, illegal invasion of a part of Ukrainian territory that has rejected the coup regime. I am not at all optimistic about seeing any kind of collaboration in Ukraine until - at the very least - the regime in Kiev admits that it was a foreign installed regime. That was installed as a result of a coup d’état and that the rebuilding of Ukraine has to involve the rebuilding of the western part of Ukraine as well.
RT: What are your thoughts on how the Maidan revolution unfolded and is remembered in the West of the country? The police who were murdered on the square are not remembered in a positive light but the protesters who were are. Why?
JB: It has still never been established what happened in its entirety on that square. Who killed whom and who was pulling the strings behind those events. I’ve had reporters from my office in Ukraine, in various regions of the country and who have seen what has resulted from that intervention in Ukrainian internal affairs. And I can tell you it is a disaster zone. In the areas of conflict, it is a region of lawlessness and internationally unauthorized use of the Ukrainian forces against Ukrainian citizens. And economically, of course, the country is a disaster zone.
Any idea of entering into NATO or the EU is out of the question because Ukraine as a state doesn’t exist. There is a portion of the state under the control of Kiev but the rest of the state, not only is not under the control of Kiev, but has no desire to be under the control of Kiev. And it is that lack of desire by the citizens of eastern Ukraine who have no interest whatsoever in being governed by an illegal regime. That’s the block that stops any forward motion until there is a reassessment inside Kiev of what their status is.
RT: Do many Ukrainians still hope to see their country become a part of the EU?
JB: The Ukrainian people realized that when England leaves the EU, the EU is certainly not what they thought it was. And the military, evil side of the coin, the NATO idea is out of the question…
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.
