Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Why M. Saakashvili wants to be more than Prime Minister of Ukraine?

 M. Saakashvili’s aspiration to be “more than Prime Minister of Ukraine” is understandable. If he becomes a symbol of successful anti-corruption reforms in Ukraine, he will be the famous historical figure. Money and power of current Ukrainian oligarchs will vanish away, but the memory of the “person who’s changed the system” will stay forever. Perhaps, people would try to distort the fact by starting criminal investigations, stripping the citizenship (M.Saakashvili has been stripped Georgian citizenship). However, these people will stay in history as reformers, meanwhile the ones who tried to drag their names through the mire will be forgotten.


Monday, February 22, 2016

Nobody wants to wait until it comes to them


There are recent movements in Europe that make one think that peaceful times have passed. The countries that are not yet NATO members trying to become ones. Georgia and Montenegro are making steadfast steps towards the accession. Countries belonged to the North Atlantic Alliance are also trying to obtain more security. Poland, with the new Minister of Foreign Affairs, Witold Waszczykowski, has taken a strong position regarding its NATO membership role in the region. The substantial preparations for the NATO Summit in Warsaw show that many things has changed in Europe. And the tension is in the air.


Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Of two evils choose the lesser

Everyone knows the usefulness of “carrot and stick” politics. However, sometimes neither carrot nor stick brings visible results. On the 15th February Belarusian government got a carrot one more time. After the 4 moths suspension the European Union has lift sanctions against 170 Belarusian individuals including the president, A. Lukashenko, permanently. What was the reason of such a weighty decision? Human rights are still abused. There was no transparency during the presidential elections. Belarusian opposition insists on the sanction maintenance. But the real answer is somewhere else. It is in Russia.


Monday, February 15, 2016

Essential lessons for Ukraine: Poland and Georgia

           My article devoted to reforms in Ukraine has been published by VoxUkraine, an independent analytical platform. It presents the possible scenario of anti-corruption, public administration and economic reforms using the experience of Ukrainian neighbours. Georgia has shown unpredictable results, initiating core reforms within couple of years, starting 2003. Poland, being on the edge of economic collapse in the 1989, implemented drastic economic reforms called "Shock therapy", which has boost the economic development. One of the key "ingredient" of successful reforms is the strong political will of a government to perform the reforms.

http://voxukraine.org/2016/02/11/georgia-and-poland-lessons-for-ukraine-en/


Tuesday, February 9, 2016

One in the field but without shield

       Last week the Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine, Aivaras Abromavičius, announced his resign. Such statement should not be ignored by the Ukrainian government. This situations shows it is not enough to appoint some “bribe-free” ministers waiting until they combat corruption. The entire system must be changed. Altogether with the people from old system, whose time has passed. They have to leave. They simply should not have power to block reforms aimed to create new transparent and efficient system. And all of this in the hands of the Ukrainian government.


Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Past crime of Russia to be revealed

        After the previous shameful news concerning Russian government another crime of the past is waiting for its revelation. The Russian-Georgian conflict in 2008 came into the focus of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Haage . It announced the investigation of the possible war crimes against humanity during the conflict. From June till October 2008 pro-Russian separatists and later on Russian troops took the territory of South Ossetia (Tskhinvali Region), part of Georgia. After the conflict Russia announced independence of this territory. During the hostilities 1000 people were killed and all ethnic Georgians lived on this territory were displaced.