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How Accurate Are Western Media Reports on the Events in Ukraine?

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Written by David Starr   
Monday, 09 December 2013 05:20
A traditional mantle of objectivity has long been worn by the U.S. media, as well as European. But reports from western media sources have expressed a familiar-sounding tone of subjectivity regarding the early December protests in Ukraine where two sides of the story are not told.

Among these sources are the Economist (British-based), NBC World News, New York Times and CNN.

The Economist was especially spiteful, describing Ukraine president Viktor Yanukovych in unflattering terms when he decided that his country should not join the European Union. In the article, "Battle for Ukraine" ("A.O.," 12/022013), Yanukovych was called a thug and a thief, ditching "the Association Agreement with Europe." Yanukovych's "preferred method," is described in dealing with demonstrators opposing his decision: The police pummelling them, "smashing heads and kicking people to the ground."

The U.S. sources were milder in their tone, but nonetheless sounded similar. An NBC World News report (Danilova and Karmanau, 12/02/2013) mentioned how "thousands of Ukrainian protesters on Monday blocked entrances to the government building and called for the ouster of the prime minister and his cabinet," which was preceded by a Sunday rally "in the capital [Kiev] by hundreds of thousands Ukrainians, which was mostly peaceful, until a group of protesters tried to storm President Viktor Yanukovych's office."

While the report stated that "it was police action against protesters early Saturday that galvanized the latest round of protests to bring down the president and his government," it gives the simplified impression that the police, as well as Yanukovych, are to blame for the root cause of the events; that being the pressure, diplomatic and otherwise, put on Ukraine to establish "free trade and deepened political cooperation between [it] and the EU," which obviously isn't the case.

EU governments of late haven't been too cooperative with their respective populations, imposing IMF/World Bank austerity measures that have threatened living standards and social programs, causing mass demonstrations.

The report in the New York Times (Herszenhorn, 12/02/2013) stated that "several thousand people marched on the Cabinet Ministry to demand the resignation of the government and chanted, 'Gang, get out!'" Certainly, many things have been said about Ukraine's current turmoil, but why quote and highlight just this one outburst? There's vague mention of an "Oleg Tyagnibok of the nationalist Svoboda ["Freedom"] Party, leading the protest movement in partnership with civic activists." (More about this below.)

Likewise, a CNN report (Gumuchian and Butenko, 12/2013) is vague, quoting a protester named Sergey Vysotsky as saying, "There is no turning back, we have reached the point of no return." A quote from protest leader Yuri Lutsenko, "This is not a protest. This is a revolution." Also: "Russia threatened its tiny neighbor with trade sanctions and steep gas bills if it forged ahead [with the Association Agreement with Europe]." (Ukraine itself isn't that small.) It's implied that Russia is simply a bully, despite the close, historical relationship between the two slavic nations and regarding the importance of geopolitics. (It would be suicidal for Russia to simply go along with the west's systematic takeover of its neighbors.)

Who really is this opposition? The above media sources don't describe, even briefly, its political positions and goals, perhaps giving the mistaken impression that this is a pure pro-democracy movement.

To describe the Svoboda Party as simply nationalist ignores very important details, considering that Svoboda is ultranationalist and far to the right:

"[Svoboda] cooperates with the British National Party and Hungary's Jobbik Party. They also have contact with Germany's Neo-Nazi NPD. The party's representatives have repeatedly launched anti-Semitic tirades. Svoboda's support comes above all from the west of the country, where Ukrainian nationalism is particularly strong." [1]

Essentially, there has been a "two-camp" rivalry in recent years: "the pro-Western democrats comprising the 'Orange' parties and the pro-Russian anti-liberals" [3] led by the Party of Regions. In recent years, however, Svoboda has risen as a contending party.

Since the USSR desolved, "[o]ligarchs who privatized Soviet industry and frequently exported profits to offshore banks rather than re-investing in their own country have dominated Ukraine's economy." [2] These oligarchs run the Party of Regions.

The "Orange Revolution" that western media gushed over failed. "This wasn't the future for which we froze for on Independence Square last winter [late 2004 - early 2005] laments the internet site of Pora, the political party that claims its origins in last year's [2004] Orange Revolution." [4] Its leader-cum Ukrainian president, Viktor Yushchenko, was dismissed for cronyism, corruption and internal conflicts.

Svoboda and two other right-wing parties have led the demonstrations: The Fatherland Party headed by former
Prime Minister Julia Timoshenko (currently in prison on corruption charges), which has ties to Germany's Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union. And the Ukrainian Democratic Reform Alliance, headed by former world boxing champion Vitali Klitschko and supported by the Konrad Adenauer Institude. [5]

These are the "pro-democracy" elements that the west would support if it means getting Ukraine in the European Union.

In 2010, Ukraine rejected an invitation to join NATO, this under then-President Yanukovych. The majority of Ukrainians supported this decision. And Yushchenko, the incumbent president and leader of the "Orange Revolution" was replaced by the voters that year in an election where he only got 3% of the vote. [6]

After the rejection of NATO, it's odd that many Ukrainians still want their country to join the European Union. Inevitably, that would mean joining NATO. And Western Europe is in economic chaos due to austerity, so Ukrainians probably won't attain the living standards they think they will. "Many Ukrainians think that partnership with the EU will provide a legal framework and enforcement of rules that will cleanse their economy of corruption. The reality, however, may be to lock them into neo-liberal legal frameworks that diminishes Ukraine's prospects, thus reducing them to a cheap 'reserve of army labor' for West Europe." [7]

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will have a more convenient chance to push austerity on Ukraine if it joins the EU. In previous years, "...the IMF was bankrolling [a] corporate 'virtual economy', imposing its own neo-liberal agenda without much regard for Ukrainian circumstance." [8]

Ukraine suffered during WWII with both Nazi occupation and right-wing, native collaborators. Today, Ukraine doesn't need to suffer again, this time with right-wing, native collaborators, and their foreign backers, forcing the country into a neo-liberal, imperial "cage."

David Starr writes on various social and political issues, nationally and internationally.

©

Sources:

[1] Weiss, Clara & Schwarz, Peter. "Ukraine Abandons Plans for Closer Ties to the European Union." 11/2013: pg 2. http://www.wsws.org

[2] Sommers, Jeffrey. "Fool's Gold in Ukraine."12/02/2013. http://www.counterpunch.org

[3] Umland, Andreas. "Ukraine Right-wing Politics: is the Genie Out of the Bottle?" 1/03/2011: pg 2.
http://www.opendemocracy.net

[4] vanden Heuvel, Katrina. "Ukraine's Tarnished Revolution." 9/14/2005: pg 1.
http://www.thenation.com

[5] Ibid. Weiss & Schwarz. 2/2013: pg 2.

[6] Cottin, Heather. "Ukraine Voters Say No to NATO." 2/19/2010: pg 1.

[7] Ibid. Sommers. 12/02/2013.

[8] Wilson, Andrew. The Ukrainians: Unexpected Nation. Yale University Press. 2000: pgs 262, 263.
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