Ukraine looks West

As expected, Viktor Yushchenko has won the (latest) presidential election in Ukraine.

[I]nternational observers praised the conduct of Sunday's re-run vote, held after the second round was annulled over ballot-rigging.

With nearly all votes counted, Mr Yushchenko has an eight-point lead.

The pro-Western opposition leader, who wants Ukraine to push through liberal reforms, is on 52%, against Mr Yanukovych's 44%, official results show.

But his oponent is not conceding.

Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych has refused to concede defeat in the presidential election won by his rival Viktor Yushchenko.

“I will never recognise such a defeat, because the constitution and human rights were violated,” he said.

It almost sounds as though Yanukovych's rhetoric coach got a few pointers from our own Democratic Party, no? And speaking of the domestic left, Bloggle has noticed something.

I went to The Washington Monthly, Tom Paine, The New Republic, Joshua Marshall, even Atrios, among several others. Nothing. Only DailyKos bothered to mention it, and then with a dismissive “We've been here before.”

What's up with the left? I would think that this is the exact kind of thing to get the liberal blood going. It's certainly brightening my day. I know that this is Christmas week and there is the temptation to take it a little easy between now and the end of the year, but what we have witnessed in Ukraine this past month has to be one of the biggest stories of the year.

We have witnessed, in a former Soviet satellite not only a peaceful revolution and vote, but an event which will have long-range ramifications for Europe, Russia, the US and in fact the world. Russian political reach has been hampered as speculation is already running on the possibility of Ukraine's accession to the EU. Soft support by the United States and European countries showed not only that principled, moral support can propel a people towards self-rule, but demonstrated that America and Europe can still work together on the big issues. […]

I'm starting to believe that the modern left is not interested in the march of freedom and democracy so much as heaping petty spite and hateful condescension on the rebellious children of a long-lamented deceased empire.

The silence of The New Republic is particularly damning. One might expect Kos to ignore any good news impudent enough to occur during this President's watch; but TNR is the flagship of neoliberalism, and really ought to act accordingly. (Bloggle link via Instapundit)

Ill-mannered liberals aside, the big question now is Ukraine's neighbor to the east. Late last week Russian President Vladimir Putin exhibited his recently-acquired habit of castigating the West in general, and the US in particular.

Referring to Ukraine, [Putin] voiced concern about “attempts to solve political issues illegally” and about “a desire to isolate the Russian Federation”.

He said he would ask President George Bush to clarify the US position on Russia's ties with its neighbours.

He also poured scorn on the elections in Afghanistan, Kosovo and Iraq.

Speaking at a news conference in Moscow, Mr Putin said: “Now there's an election in Iraq but the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe) has said they will be verified from Jordan - isn't that a farce?” […]

He said he hoped isolating Russia was not the goal of US policy.

“If it's indeed so, then the position on Chechnya is becoming more understandable. That means that there, as well, a policy aimed at creating elements that would destabilise the Russian Federation is being conducted,” he added.

And in other news: “Once-bitter rivals Russia and China will hold a massive joint military exercise on Chinese territory next year involving submarines and possibly strategic bombers, Russia's defense minister said Monday.” Perhaps not an entirely unexpected development, but enough nonetheless to give strategic planners in Washington a bad case of heartburn.

In case you missed this site's Russia Week earlier in December, related posts are here: 1 2 3 4. Reader TomBombadil's latest comment can be found here, and is well worth the read.