This is a major blow to Vladimir Putin. Putin was trying to rebuild the old Soviet Union into a new Eurasian Union (Soviet Union 2). Putin was counting on Yanukovich to join, as Ukraine is the biggest of the ex soviet countries. Along with expelling Yanukovich from office, the Ukrainian parliament also freed the old president of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko from jail.
Does America find a way to get involved in this? I don't think so but you never know. Should we be worried about this Eurasian Union? Could this Union lead to a second cold war? Where could Yanukovich have run off to?
Article
Live Stream of Revolt
Article about the fighting
1 comment:
As much as I'd like to look at this change as a win for freedom/european democracy, I can't help but be troubled by such a sudden turn of events in Ukraine. Personally, I think that street violence in this manner is inherently detrimental to the democratic process and Ukraine's history (another set of street protests to install a pro-EU government followed by the arrest of the president and the election of a pro-Russia president... who has just been removed in remarkably familiar street protests) indicates that this method for governmental turnover is becoming the norm. I mean, Yanukovich definitely doesn't seem like the right man for the job in this instance, but are his choices regarding relations with foreign countries really justify early regime change. Regarding the violence; it seems as if both sides escalated the killings in wholly inappropriate ways. I'd fault police for firing on groups of protesters and their use of intimidation tactics (it doesn't look like Ukrainian police have a particularly clean human rights history either). But, equally I'd fault protester's for their complete disregard for the safety of themselves and others. The use of weapons and firebombs against police and troops goes well beyond that of self defense and is entirely inexcusable.
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