Ukrainian Democracy and Its Cynics
Because Ukraine's Orange Revolution in 2004 turned out to be a seeming unending series of disappointments, most Western leaders are acting as if it makes no difference whether Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko or her rival, Viktor Yanukovich, wins on February 7. They are wrong: a victory for Yanukovich now may be the last free vote Ukraine sees for a long time.
MOSCOW – “A pox on both your houses” may be an appropriate individual response to frustration with the political candidates on offer in an election. But it is a dangerous sentiment for governments to hold. Choice is the essence of governance, and to abstain from it – for whatever reason – is to shirk responsibility.