Should countries like Ukraine and Palestine be divided in two? Is it better for it to abandon institutions that don’t work? Should such a country ask for international mediation? Or do you think the fighting will eventually tire both sides and make them seek compromise?

IP       October 7, 2007, 15:13

It is obviously a difficult and sticky situation for Ukraine at the moment, however, as you have seen, Ukraine is not buying into the "west" thing very easily. And there is no absolute majority of the people to support this (not even 50%). We are not really talking about the ideology these days. People want better healthcare, education, improved standards of living. Whats in the possibility of joining the NATO and EU for Ukraine? Just the opportunity for the ukranean people to go abroad to earn some momey. I beleive that people understand that this would not happen very soon as Ukraine is a fairly large country with approx 48-49 million population.
On the other hand, Russian economy is growing quite fast now and the alliance with Russia would be beneficial for Ukranian economy. There are now also quite a lot of Ukranians moving to live and work in Russia. Therefore, I beleive the west must now accept Ukraine as it is and not try to push its people with empty ideology.

fred       October 7, 2007, 13:25

ip...

off-course there is no fighting in ukraine , not yet ...

but the situation is comparable to palestine ...

as is not really the peoples wanting or not wanting it but "foriegn" interests "playing" in thoses countries !

ukrain is played by USA and allies to finalise the encircling policy ...

and by russia in reaction to this ...

directly or undirectly , the situation in both palestine and ukrain is very similar !

palestinians and ukrainians would prefer peace and stability ...

what they get is lots of non-sens ( in palestine , when there is elections , the result is good or unacceptable depending on whom is winning ... , in ukrain it's 2 blocks fighting (peacefully) each others without understanding that in election there is always 2 sides = a winner and a looser ... it doesn't make the looser less good and the election less democratic for that only reason !)

when is that going to be the time where peoples understand they have to build a common future ? whithout all the time putting back past on the table ?

i am convinced ukrainians should stop listening to western and eastern voices !

palestinians and israelis should understand nothing good for their children will come out of hate !

IP       October 5, 2007, 17:33

The similarities of the situation in Ukraine are not to be compared to Palestine and north/south Cyprus. The situation there is not as polarised as it is in Palestine. There is no fight, shootings, differences in religion. Ukraine is a combination of two or more slavic nations who have a lot of common, who always mixed, had families, raised cildren. If we look back 1,2,3 centuries ago, Ukraine has NEVER been a separate country from Russia.
Therefore, the leaders of Uraine have a task to develop their country taking into consideration all peoples views. I beleive its the presidents fault that he has been unable fo find compromise between the people and parties of Ukraine and continued to push his own agenda even when people rejected it. His party is rated the third now, therefore I feel he has to step down and let someone who has better negotiating and compromise skills to take on his job.

fred       October 3, 2007, 15:28

al ...

i do not agree with partition ... isn't it enough to have one jerusalem in the world ?

if such things happen in ukrain , it will be the same , a capital town acknoledge by no one , each sides figthing endlessly for what they think "theirs" natural capital ...!

john ...

(are we going to agree on one thing one day ? :-)) )

this is not democracy in ukrain ...!
as we only one way for ukrainians to get-out of political turmoil is to understand :

1°there is no easy way out !

2° Russia should not be treated as an enemy

3° European Union has nothing for them

4° joining NATO will bring them nothing except some kind of servitude to others

5° they should try to understand that sticking to blocks is a remain of cold war era

6° they should understand they did leave a master (USSR) to fall into the nets of an other one ( US policy ?)

7° the best (if not only) way for them is to try to be themselves , and to some dream-extents , be the place where the east (Russia) would meet west (European Union) to prepare for a common better future , instead of allways trying to rule the game (which E.U. can afford anymore and has no interest for Russia...)

fred       October 3, 2007, 11:02

yes this type of country can move on ...!

ukrain and palestine have a common fate ...

most peoples should remenber this :

from the egg and the hen , who was first ?

palestine and israel would be long peacefull neighbours if some aliens interests wouldn't care too much about them ... (i had the chance to live in both sides , and i do speak both languages , arabic and hebrew)

ukrain is exactly the same , population having no past references to decide are shared by 2 differents blocks helped by foreign reaction or interests ...

an other common thing : who is right , who is wrong ? = no one ! the first say one thing , the second say something else in reaction , so the first one has to react and so on ...

where the only solution is to say to thoses "foreign interest or reaction" to get out and then to talk about a possible future ...!

Aardvark       October 1, 2007, 17:37

he Associated Press
Published: September 29, 2007

"AP...Efforts to break a 111-day political deadlock on forming a new government have made enough progress to resume full-blown coalition talks, officials said Saturday.
The deadlock has raised the risk of the bilingual country splitting apart..." Ukraine? no, Belgium.

Al       September 29, 2007, 19:03

I think that Ukraine should devide. Eastern Ukraine and the West separated at the Dnieper river, Kiev being originally a city of the Rus, should be on the border and part of the east. Do what the Czechs and Slovakians did.

Donning flame suit at this time.

John       September 29, 2007, 16:50

I know at the moment there is real political turmoil in Ukraine. But for me this is real Democracy in action lots of differant veiws being expressed a women at the heart of power.Contrast this with Russia's flat boring already decided election. I am sure that in years to come the Ukraine will emerge stronger and more democratic because of this experiance good wishes to the great nation of Ukraine.

Sevodnya_Net       September 29, 2007, 01:15

I agree, Jeezy. Russia Today really comes into its own in its reporting of Ukrainian affairs. Of course Ukraine must remain a coalition of western and eastern looking tendencies. I deplore what I see as outside meddling by the current Russian regime at times, but as Mike says Ukraine historically is the centre of Rus as well as having a Ukrainian culture. It's a wonderful country and I really wish the independent minded people there well. That means anti-NATO as well as anti-Putin!

Mike       September 27, 2007, 16:17

How can you fight yourself, thus how can Ukraine de-Russify or Palestine de-Arafat/Islamist thinking?Ukraine is the founding place of RUS, the epitome of the Russian/Greater Slav civilization, and any attempts by certain powers/ meddlers to force some entity to fight oneself is bound to backfire on themselves in addition to the citizens of Greater Ukraine. The only way forward for such entities to recognize realities!

Jeezy       September 27, 2007, 13:14

Cant agree less with your reporter in the case of Ukraine. It must be a new country with a respect to traditions. The western thinking just cannot push out the russian influence, otherwise the country will fall apart. The west of Ukraine just cannot exist without the East. There are,certainly, cases in which a compromise is not possible, like the Kosovo issue or Northern Cyprus. But in Ukraine it is possible, because on several occasions a common language was found between Viktors.
I want to thank Russia Today for the most impartial view on our continuing stalemate! And for a great reports, including the documentary!

Regards,
Oleksandr

Taras       September 26, 2007, 10:39

For Ukraine the answer is to continue gradual de-Russification. Eventually enough of the poison will be expelled or drain away and stability can follow.

Sevodnya_Net       September 25, 2007, 18:28

There are enough questions there to keep political theorists in debate for years!
One can only pick out a few concrete instances:
Ukraine, for example, should certainly not divide in two, and won't. Compromise there has repeatedly been achieved, despite initially unhopeful signs.
One should not throw one's democratic baby out with the bathwater of despair (I can't believe I said that?!)