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Ten years have passed since Ukraine obtained its independence. Hence,
anxiety or even despair still does not leave us. What kind of independence
are we talking about?
Isn’t it something we are just loosing or lost already? And is it, in
general, a talk about that desired state “Ukraine”? For the society created
in Ukraine is too far to look like the kingdom of justice where everyone
has his own place desired during the centuries of struggle for independence.
Perhaps it is going about the realization of the “Project ”Ukraine” in
Ukraine, something we are distant of. But who is the one to realize it?
What is the reason of that? Certainly, somebody who is interested - first
in planning, then in realization for the purpose of his own interests.
Who could embody the really ambitious plan? There are certain doubts
that it could be the Ukrainian people, Soviet by inertia in its majority.
It is obvious that the old Communist and Soviet Ukrainian nomenclature
(as one of the Soviet Union nomenclature units) appeared to be the most
prepared for the declaring independence of Ukraine in 1991. It has prepared
that independence (certainly for its own purposes) and declared it (for
the same purposes).
The declaration of independence is, in fact, symptomatic, for according
to this formula it was neither achieved in the struggle against the conquerors
(what is true, but tremendous efforts have been made during the last decade
to make the people forget it ), nor snatched out from the hands of the
mentioned nomenclature. It was a Highest Gift (not without the cynicism
- what a foreseeing!) of the latter.
The marasmatic USSR being the looser of the Cold World War III, shocked
the West by its sudden crash. And the main acting persons of this crash
were not the lonely romantics-dissidents, but the Communist nomenclature
itself. Because there were no other force powerful enough to ruin that
huge machine (I can confirm it from the point of view of the decade experience,
paying no attention to my patriotism). There were exactly the Bolshevicks-Communists,
who led the neoimperial Russian project to the complete disaster, though
there are numerous voices supporting the version that it is a result of
the external and internal “enemies” - NATOvers, “Banderivtsi” (Stepan
Bandera followers - T.V.), Jews, democrats etc. who had ruined their “Heaven
on the Earth”, the USSR. They appeal only to the human stupidity and loss
of memory. And there are such who believe.
Saving themselves from the sinking ship the nomenclature “met the desire
of the Ukrainian people” and declared the independence of Ukraine. But
what is that independence in reality? We can hardly find a couple of people
who personally paid the years of jail, exile, spoiled youth or blood for
that. Except some who really are respectworthy (but not from the State
Ukraine and, furthermore, what concerns pensions - they are prevised only
for the veterans of NKVD and SMERSH in the “Project “Ukraine”). (NKVD
- Narodnyj Komissariat Vnutryennikh Dyel, the repressive machine of Stalin’s
regime, SMERSH - “Smyert’ Shpionam!” (“Death to the Spies”), punishing
troops used for the struggle against the Ukrainian Insurgent Army but,
in fact, killing and repressing the population of Western Ukraine - T.V.)
A plenty of people did not even notice that independence because the same
ideal - the Communist trough, but the bigger one and with the equal distributing
of goods was expected. We did not treat it as a right for the own choice
and freedom.
The declared independence costed almost nothing for the majority of us.
So it is priceless in the ironical sense of this term, meaning that it
has no value for the majority.
And as anything having no value it is useless. We do not use our independence
for ourselves. But when I say “we” it does not mean that it concerns the
real creators, promoters and contemporary masters of the “Project ”Ukraine”,
those who had been benefited by that independence, who transformed themselves
to the political nation relative to the “Project ”Ukraine”, who is the
patriot of this country in some very specific way. I speak about the nomenclature
of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. The contemporary State Ukraine
is the star time of nomenclature, the decade of its peak and self-realization,
unbelievable even for itself. That is why it looks back at the Moscow
loosers who pretend they are not the world outsiders. Certainly, they
had to share the profits - seriously with the criminals and former smugglers
(almost of the same origin), and partly with the few rachitical nationals
(after primary selection and renegation according to the scheme friend/enemy).
That is the reason why the decade of independence seems to be for somebody
a party of the self-realization in the State (NB: not in Res Publica!)
Ukraine. What certainly was demonstrated by the puppet parades of the
former Soviet Army stubs, cops and always ready pioneers under the ironical
glance of “Bratva” (slang - the shadow economy bosses - T.V.) The majority
of the Ukrainian population bears no relation to this project except being
the “material” or “electorate” (though without the right to vote - new
election technologies!).
The more and more often the people are going out in the deep Halychyna
(Galicia), on the street of my childhood. Perhaps not because of sicknesses
and pains but of the despair first of all. The old prisoners who came
back from the Siberia and Kazakhstan exiles and who were incredibly happy
of the so long awaited independence, are leaving now for eternity. Sinking
out being robbed.
Yet Ukraine exists. No doubts, it is not of that kind it has been expected
to be. I suggest that the majority would agree that Ukraine today is still
Soviet and it is far from the desired ideal. I cannot stay without arguing
with those “analiticians” and “image-makers” who say it is just that independence
which was desired and which was paid by the lives of the most noble. We
have to start once again. We have no right to loose the hope. We cannot
deceive the ten-year child.
Taras Voznyak
L’viv, July, 2001
All texts are available in Ukrainian
(archive Ukr.)
CONTENTS
- Oksana Pakhlyovs’ka. Ukraine and Europe in 2001: A Decade of
Lost Chances.
The lack of mainstream idea is stressed as one of the most real reason
of the development programme failure in Ukraine.
- Antonina Kolodij. Forming of the Civil Society in Ukraine.
Problems and prospects of civil society development in Ukraine.
- Annie Doubenton. Civil Society in Ukraine: The Safeguard of
Democracy.
Political and social processes in Ukraine from the French point of view.
- Victor Vovk. Ukraine in the Context of Contemporary Trends
and Scenarios of the World Development.
Approaches to the studying of the reasons of actual situation in Ukraine
and various futuristic scenarios for prospects.
- Taras Batenko. Political Opposition as a Rebus for the President
of Ukraine.
General features of Ukrainian opposition in contemporary Ukrainian context.
- Yaryna Boren’ko. Insufficient Imitation or the European Macro-Idea
in the Polish-Ukrainian Micro-Space.
How could the universal pattern be applied in the bilateral relations.
- Oleh Turij. Traditional Churches in Ukraine: The Problem of
Identity.
One of the most painful social and political Ukrainian problem is under
investigation.
- Volodymyr Vitkovs’kyj. Ukraine: The Third Millennium in the
Third World?
Comparative analysis of the axial features of the Third World and Ukraine
development.
- Zbigniew Brzezinski. Enlarge the Alliance, Extend the Europe.
The necessity of NATO and the EU extension under the press of contemporary
world changes is stressed.
- Arkadiy Moshes. The Slavic Triangle: Ukraine and Byelarus’
in the Russian Foreign Policy in the 90eth.
The article is devoted to the relationship problems inside the post-Soviet
space.
- Eastern Policy of the European Union. Official letter of Polish
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, June 13, 2001.
- Yaryna Boren’ko. The “European Dream” and the Ukrainian City:
A Decade of Political Kitsch.
Some times history depends on one city, especially when it does not
exist...
- Myroslav Marynovych. The Role of the Church in the Post-Communist
Society Constructing in Ukraine.
Clerical processes in Ukraine and relations between various confessions,
their influence on the national political life.
- Markijan Filevych. Gogol’ by the Table and on the Table.
A satirical short story concerning the national underestimation problem.
- Andriy Panchyshyn. The Poetry of the Late 80eth.
- Izdryk. The So-Called “Ordered Short Story” or the Decade of
Decadence.
The general decrease of the level of Ukrainian culture is analyzed.
- Taras Voznyak. The Stolen Ukraine. To the Forming of Ukrainian
Political Nation.
The problem of regional diversity and interaction in the nation state
forming process context.
- Myroslav Popovych. The Ukrainian Way to the United Europe.
Prospects of Ukrainian integration into expanded European Union.
- Yuriy Buzduhan. Tectonical Processes in the Ukrainian Society.
An attempt of internal social processes analysis.
- Andriy Kyrchiv. The Foreign Policy Component of the Ukrainian
National Security Policy.
Some preliminary evaluations of achievements and losses in foreign and
security policy of Ukraine during the last ten years.
- Kostyantyn Bondarenko. The Power-Keepers or Who Rules Ukraine.
The most powerful Ukrainians and the list of parties they support.
- Bohdan Osadczuk. The Power and Opposition Crisis on the Dnipro
Banks.
The description of stalemate situation in Ukrainian political establishment.
- Victoria Lyubaschenko. Protestantism in Ukraine: The creation
of Stereotypes Goes On.
Tension between traditional and new confessions in Ukraine.
- Mark Najdorf. The “U” Space.
This former part of the dissimulated USSR still waits for the crucial
changes...
- Anton Borkovs’kyj. The 10 Years of the Myth.
The permanent need of creating positive image of contemporary Ukraine
is stressed.
- Interview with Timothy Garton Ash. Everyone Has His Own Europe.
- Joran Persson. Ukraine in the European Prospect.
Ukrainian chances in European integration process.
- Syergej Chernyshov. Civic Theses.
What unites the sides and what is making them opposing each other in
civic society?
- Kateryna Botanova. Ukrainian Cultural Diplomacy: Behind the
Faces Without Faces.
Ukraine looks rather like “black hole” than “white spot” on the cultural
map of Europe.
- Andriy Okara. The “Restraining” Mission”. Ukrainian Diaspora
as a System-Forming Factor of the Russian Sovereignty.
An attempt of analysis of significant role of Ukrainian component in
Russian political concept and strategy.
- Petro Husak. Ethics and Politics: Alternative or Consonance?
The problem of “dirty methods” in politics are discussed.
- Igor Klekh. Sister-Ukraine, Memorandum or Vocabulary (Russian).
A short funny encyclopaedia of the most used names and terms concerning
Ukraine.
- Vyacheslav Glazychev. The Clock Stopped in Konotop (Russian).
The impressions of Russian cultural scientist after visiting independent
Ukraine.
- Kost’ Bondarenko. Project Ukraine.
A conceptual analysis of Ukrainian idea in historical and contemporary
application.
- Roman Matsiuk. Phantasmagoria of Ten-Year Fuss.
What have happened in the spheres of social and political life of Ukraine
during the late ten years?
- Andriy Okara. Defending the Russian Language.
The conditions of Russian and Ukrainian languages in Eastern Ukraine
are two different conditions of death...
- Volodymyr Tsybul’ko. Jubilee and Just So Reflections.
Poetry
- Yaroslav Nevelyuk. Meditations.
Satirical short story.
- Oleksandr Noha. The Ukrainian Art in 1992-2001: The Epoch of
Dependence on Liberty.
Art is the lonely thing which was and remains independent in our people.
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