Cheap manipulation may work in some parts of the world, but not here.

Were the elections free and fair? That’s the question you need to be asking yourself Ms. Prystayko. If they were, Ukraine clearly is / will be a country based on democratic principles. Were they not, the opposite applies. Period.

Raising the issue of democratic credentials of candidates is a false one and you know it if you’ve ever read a single book on political regimes. The system is democratic if elections are free and fair (electoral democracy). Should the system have rule of law and respect for individual human rights on top of that you may call it liberal democracy.

How the democratically elected leaders decide to run the country – meaning the policy choices they make – is totally beside the point, provided they stick within the constitutional and institutional frame. But no, you’d like to make the Ukrainian voter feel guilty for voting as they sought best. Hypocrisy of the worst kind I say.

olivier :History has no circles

Wow. Sounds like you’ve never studied history that closely.

Ukraine has never rejected Yanukovitch

So 2004 never happened? Who are you trying to sell that to?s

Anonymous Coward : Cheap manipulation may work in some parts of the world, but not here.
Were the elections free and fair? That’s the question you need to be asking yourself Ms. Prystayko. If they were, Ukraine clearly is / will be a country based on democratic principles. Were they not, the opposite applies. Period.
Raising the issue of democratic credentials of candidates is a false one and you know it if you’ve ever read a single book on political regimes. The system is democratic if elections are free and fair (electoral democracy). Should the system have rule of law and respect for individual human rights on top of that you may call it liberal democracy.
How the democratically elected leaders decide to run the country – meaning the policy choices they make – is totally beside the point, provided they stick within the constitutional and institutional frame. But no, you’d like to make the Ukrainian voter feel guilty for voting as they sought best. Hypocrisy of the worst kind I say.

Yeah…by your definition, the USSR was also “based on democratic principles”. Why don’t you take your cowardly totalitarian cheap shots somewhere else, tovaritshch?

Paul : Sorry to go off topic! How do people manage to quote on this blog? Not a function I’ve noticed.

I click on Q that is at the end of the line with your name and see a bunch of “crazy letter”. Then I just start typing below and it works. I also cut out those parts of your letter that I don’t want to quote.

Western nations want everyone to see them and their institutions in a tutelary role. In this economic crisis, however, they put maintenance of their workers’ salaries at top priority while at the same time demanded that poorer countries cut back on services, driving them deeper into despair. Ukraine falls into the latter club, and I think Yushchenko’s presidency has taught people that.

Is it my imagination but haven’t dozens of posts been removed?

Yes, I agree – the Ukraine, Russia & Belarus should jointly negotiate an association with EU: “EU + 3.” Looking much further into the future some sort of EU-Russa entity should exist. Not something that the United States would ever permit, so it can’t happen as long they have the power to prevent it (i.e. indefitely).