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Re the Ukraine: I think it's important to differentiate what we're cheering for. I'm unequivocally in favor of there being a new vote, as it's beyond debate that there were widescale irregularities. But that's different from wanting to see one side win. I'd prefer a Yushchenko win, but that's subordinate a wish to seeing the people's will reflected in the popular vote.
It makes sense, if you are Ukrainian and a Yushchenko supporter, to go stand in the cold and drape yourself in orange — motive doesn't matter in righting a wrong. But it should also be possible for Yanukovich supporters to decide a re-election would be best, without this being interpreted by others as a switch of allegiance to Yushchenko.
This is why, for the sake of avoiding worst case scenarios such as civil war, we outside observers/bloggers should tone down the orange. Refrain from adding the Our Ukraine political party symbol to your blog or draping yourself in orange, unless of course you identify especially strongly with the specifics of that party's program. Just as in the US, this is not a choice between good and evil, but between pretty good and pretty bad, and guaranteeing the democratic process is a bigger prize than a win by either party.
Have you seen the pictures on Drudge? Yushchenko almost certainly has been poisoned. His color is all wrong, his skin is rotting off his flesh and he generally looks to be on death's door. What happens if he dies or becomes incapacitated before a new election can be held? Is democracy even possible when one side actively attempts to kill the candidates of the other?
There's an old saying - "Poor little Mexico - so far from God and so close to the United States of America." Maybe the Ukraine is similarly foredoomed.
Posted by: Sterling on November 28, 2004 04:22 PMSterling, that's an old picture, and an old story. He's better now, even if they don't know what it was. Yes, I do believe it was poison, not the Kiev sushi.
Posted by: Stefan Geens on November 28, 2004 06:24 PMIt's a new story in the U.S. media - I think I read something about him being sick in the Economist, maybe? But I had no idea that he was disfigured by the illness, or suffered continuing negative effects.
Having recovered from the immediate effects of a toxin doesn't necessarily mean that the damage it wrought won't cause grave problems in the future.
Posted by: Sterling on November 28, 2004 09:21 PMNow if only Bush supporters in the US were willing to raise the same questions for the sake of democracy.
Posted by: Dag on November 29, 2004 06:29 PMI've been tremendously impressed and moved by the huge and peaceful protests in Ukraine that have slogged on day after day.
The Yushchenko camp obviously predicted blatent electroal fraud; they had stages up and time filling performances lined up from the word boo. Now Kuchma and even Yanukovich have belated agreed to another election. I feel like the tide has turned. Good for you, Ukraine.
Funny thing - when my clock radio alarm went off this morning, the news was on, and the announcer must have said "...and the parliament has thrown out its own government in the Ukraine." But in my semi-sleep, what I heard was "...and the parliament has thrown out its own government in the UK." Woke me right up.
Posted by: Sterling on December 1, 2004 02:59 PM