Cheering On The Sinister Candidate
Russia simply cannot have everything. Not even a little of everything. That great modern experiment of the unrepentantly broad Left culminating in the embrace of the United Soviet Socialist Republics is an era gone, never to be returned. Asunder that great alliance that lent such lustre to Mother Russia. Not to be re-assembled by any means possible. Most surely because so many of the former satellites have now aligned themselves squarely on the other side.Ukraine doing its level best to follow suit. With aspirations of its own, including membership in NATO, the European Union; the possibilities are boundless, are they not? Not inclusive of a continuation of the close relationship with Russia; no longer the golden basket of wheat to be reaped to the detriment of the country from whence it came. But my goodness, isn't the final parting a death agony of denial?
Here is resurgent, very annoyed Russia throwing her weight around again. Why not? Don't most Democratic-Autocratic regimes? Besides which, they've got what a lot of other countries desperately need. And plead for. Please, do not cut off our energy source. Again. Here is voting Ukraine making another agonized decision, cutting itself in half with the effort of straining away from Russia's grasp.
But the choice appears to have been made, albeit tentatively. Russia's preferred ally, Viktor Yanukovych did indeed receive a sizeable portion of the popular vote. Alas, the combined totals of his main rival, Mr. Yushchenko and partner Yulia Tymoshenko (a duo once again after kiss-and-make-up) bested that slim majority: 34.24% to a combined 45.03% for the Orange coalition. Vladimir Putin is not at all a happy camper.
And here is a Russian State entity presenting its bill for tolerance. "If the debt is not settled in October, Gazprom will be forced to begin to cut natural gas supplies to Ukrainian consumers." Referring to the claim that there are debt arrears representing a whopping $1.3 billion. Panic. The European Union well remembers its own desperate energy-short plight a year ago when Ukraine had been summarily cut off.
"We don't understand what Gazprom means," according to Oleksy Fyodorov, representing the Ukrainian state gas company. "We don't understand where this sum comes from." Details. Niggling, irrelevant details.
Labels: Political Realities, That's Life
posted by Pieface @ Wednesday, October 03, 2007
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