Zelensky’s Ukraine: An Asset or a Liability for the United States?

Let’s cut to the chase, not every ‘anti-Russia’ government or regime in Eastern Europe is by default a democratic one, much less a Western-style democracy. Perhaps this would be the new example given to English students while being instructed on logical fallacies—namely, hasty generalization. It could very well be the substitute for the over-used one: “Socrates was wise. Socrates was bald. Hence, all bald men are wise.” One possible version for our case: “Russian political life is wanting of [Western] democratic values. Russia is not a democracy. Therefore, ’anti-Russia’ is the indubitable determinant indicator of a democratic government.”

Hopefully, no person is idiot to the extent that they would embrace the conclusion drawn with respect to the correlation between Socrates, wisdom, and baldness; nor would they believe that an ‘anti-Russia’ disposition is the sole determinant indicator of a democratic system.

For, sometimes, striking resemblance between allegedly disparate political models/systems compels one to wonder: “how is this any different?”

Such, is the case in Zelensky’s Ukraine.

The West, in general, and the US, in particular, have been criticizing Russia for years over conducts of domestic political repression—specifically, the suppression of opposition groups and leaders. Recently, the Ukrainian President Zelensky has been cracking down hard on his political opposition and any political figure with any ties to Russia. If one were to ‘google’ that, the search engine would seldom retrieve any results generated from Western media.

The question is: what do they make of the current state of affairs in Ukraine?

Another, even more pressing qualm they ought to entertain by the authority of reason: are they so sure that they want to accredit Zelensky and his government the status of ‘free-democracy’? Don’t his actions last week stand in absolute contradiction to every notion of that virtuous model of governance. 

 

 

“On Thursday [13 May 2021], Medvedchuk was placed under 24-hour house arrest until July 9. He is suspected of treason, and is said to have passed confidential information to Russia. After the court decision, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev branded the decision ‘a witch hunt.’ His ally, politician Taras Kozak, is also accused.” (Tickle)

 

 

The monumental discovery of Medvedchuk’s ‘outrageous treason’ [being sarcastic, here] had miraculously followed his party, “Ukraine’s largest opposition bloc, topping a nationwide opinion poll,” (Tickle). One cannot help but find oneself baffled at the fact that this didn’t raise any red flags, or inspire any notable reaction from the West. Irony abounds.

 

 

 

In fact, the West is obliged to denounce Zelensky’s witch-hunt tenfolds as much as Russia. His actions are nothing but imitations of what the West has been accusing Russia of doing. Thus, unless the United States and the West find it reasonable to recognize Russia as a democracy, they should reprimand Zelensky’s practices—even more severely, for his government ought to be an example of a ‘Western-mentored Ukrainian democracy’. 

Conventional wisdom has taught us, however, that as the proverb goes, “imitation is the highest form of flattery.” [the origins of the proverb are debatable. It could be traced far back in history to the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius]

 

 

Therefore, is it possible that Zelensky is bamboozling his Western allies; leading them to believe that he’s applying democratic values in Ukraine; whilst he’s actually transforming Ukraine into a replica of the ‘Western perception’ [with emphasis] of Russia’s political model, to serve his own personal interests? Food for thought…

 

 

 

 

 

Ultimately, the impression that a government is ‘pro-West’ and ‘anti-Russia’ does not indubitably validate its upholding of free-democratic values, nor bestows a sense of uprightness unto its conducts. The disposition of being ‘anti-Russia’, in itself, does not necessarily breed Western-style democracy—certainly, not by means of a political purge. All indications thus far lead to the identification of Zelensky’s Ukraine as a liability for the United States democratization mission in Eastern Europe.

 

It’s a total boondoggle!!!

 

 

 

Reference

Tickle, Jonny. “West Molding Ukraine into ‘anti-Russia’ & Turning a Blind Eye As Crackdown on Opposition Makes Donbass Peace Impossible – Putin.” RT International, 14 May 2021, www.rt.com/russia/523865-putin-west-ukraine-opposition/.