No. Mr. Akhmetov is a Russian-Speaking industrialist and the richest man in Ukraine. He is an ally of Yanukovich and obviously has some influence in the region. The steel workers that work for him are not ‘crushing’ the will of Russian speakers - they are likely mostly all Russian speakers themselves.
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Mr. Akhmetov is a corrupt oligarch who very much doesn’t want a capitalist/democratic Ukraine, since they would prosecute him for corruption, and doesn’t want his areas to join Russia because he’d be eaten by much bigger fish. So he’s trying to somehow tread the middle - keep the tensions stirred and not let them go too far.
Which “Ukrainian” are you talking about? Ukrainian itself has many dialects and in some areas there is a dialect continuum between Ukraine and Russia. Beyond that, who in this thread is suggesting that Ukrainian is a dialect of Russian?
I never said the pro-Maidan governnent were fascists. And I don’t see them backing the interim government at all. They are cslling for exactly the same thing Putin’s been calling for. Do you thing the pro-Maidan’s agree with Putin now? That would be good news wouldn’t it.
I see the demonization of Mr. Akhmetov has begun on this thread:
Terr at 06;51 pm today got the demonization going:
I wonder if the pro-Maidan oligarchs are true saints and guardians of capitalism and democracy and have dedicated their lives to improving humanity.
Yes, he is in search of something he calls intellectual consistency. Then John Mace argued that I was pretending…
And there is an ethnic divide despite the fact that many native Ukrainian tongue folks and many native Russian tongue folks have learned how to communicate with each other using a combination of both languages. The differences are not just in dialect. John Mace was wrong.
Where did I say anything about a dialect? I noted that there is a dialectic continuum in places. Do you disagree with that?
And this ethnic divide between Russian Speakers and Ukrainian speakers. Is it any different from any number of differences between peoples all over the planet? And is there some oppression that these “Russian Speakers” are experiencing that we should rally behind them in their throwing off of shackles? Or is this just the same old political squables that exist in pretty much every country on earth, but is not worth risking a civil war over?
I doubt they care whether we ‘rally behind them’… its their business not ours if they think violent removal of an elected president is a legitimate degree of oppression or not. America has not seen anything similar to Euro-Maiden violence since Nixon’s time. And even then the Constitution was not subverted as an elected president was forced to flee for his life. The political ‘squabble’ as you call it could be bigger than you want it to be to the separatists since you have chosen to favor their foes during this ‘squabble’. Its the pro-EU/US/ West side that overthrew an elected president by mob rule and violence.
So let me get this straight: is it their business to complain about the violent removal of an elected president, or is it ours? Or rather, yours? :rolleyes:
The first is my viewpoint on the whether the U.S. government should meddle in their internal struggle and their relationship with the neighbor to the Northeast. I say no.
The second is a statement of fact. It is not a complaint. Its not up to us to judge what the ‘victims’ of that ‘fact’ intend to do about it.
And now U.S. meddling (more sanctions against Russia) would be detriment to the diplomatic process with the plan and action Mr. Akhmetov and the steel workers have begun to carry out.
Why use inflammatory words like ‘crushing’ to describe a negotiated deal that could begin to help de-escalate the crisis and save lives and restore order.
Some protesters agreed through negotiations to peacefully leave the government buildings that they had been occupying behind barricades.
Are you upset that a deal did not arrive with the cracking of protesters heads by manly steel workers?
I’m beginning to suspect that the steel workers, miners and and all other working class people in the eastern regions are on the same page as the rebels with regard to autonomy for their region but the over-riding unity is on economic issues.
Here in the US organized labor is so weak we don’t think of a ‘resistence’ movement to be joined by the forces of labor and workers.
If this drive for political and economic autonomy from the centralized dysfunction in Kiev is part of a worker’s revolt against the oligarch’s as well as political foes such as the nation’s right wing nationalists, then there is a whole new way to look at it. One thing we need to figure out is Mr. Akhmetov’s role or his manager’s roles in what’s going on with the steel workers fanning out to restore order.
One thing should be coming clear as we figure out more - Putin has little control over whats happening in the Ukraine east. The West needs to find a new boogyman. Will Labor Unions become it. You know socialists and commies running amok?
No. Are you upset that you aren’t getting the artillery barrage you were dreaming of?
Only in your fevered imagination did anyone here claim Putin was controlling all the events in Eastern Ukraine. The charge was that he was supporting and pushing the separatists. Glad to see the majority that didn’t support them have decided to enter the fray.
To which on 05-17-2014 at 09:03 PM CarnalK erroneously replied:
My imagination is not at all ‘fevered’. Carnalk’s statement is erroneous because anyone can easily see that I wrote, “Putin has little control over whats happening in the Ukraine east.” Where did I state that “**anyone here **claim Putin was controlling all the events in Eastern Ukraine”?
Perhaps more reading about the complexities of regional diversity that exist in Ukraine will help you and others here gain some idea as to why that little deal which was negotiated between steel workers / steel mill managers and the anti-Maidan protestors for the latter to vacate occupied government buildings could start to deescalate the current political crisis in Eastern Ukraine. It could lead to resolving the “political hot potato” that has been tossed around since 1991.
Ukraine’s ‘regionalism of convenience’ By Kataryna Wolczuk May 6 at 2:01 pm