Update on economic and political crisis in Ukraine: Andrew Taylor, Fri. March 11, 2016

Update on economic and political crisis in Ukraine: Andrew Taylor
Fri. March 11, 2016

The economic free-fall continues:

The GDP of Ukraine, after falling in 2014, fell again last year by more than 10 %.

1. Inflation was over 40%

2. Last year the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Association with the European Union came into effect

in a unilateral fashion. Ukrainian goods would not be taxed for entry in the

European Union, whereas the EU goods going to Ukraine would be held to Ukrainian

quotas. 

3. EVEN WITH THIS PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT FOR UKRAINIAN EXPORTS, exports to the European Union fell by nearly 30 %.

In parliamentary party & personality Politics:

1. there was a crucial vote in the Rada in the week of Feb 12th, and PM Yatsenyuk barely survived that

vote. Mrs. Tymoshenko pulled out of the governing coalition on Feb. 18th.

2. President Poroshenko publicly asked the minister of internal affairs, Mr. Shokin to resign. 

(note: Avakov is minister of internal affairs; Shokin is prosecutor general.)

3.Of the five-party "pro-european" Coalition that composed the Majority within the Ukrainian parliament only two now remain! A parliamentary crisis exists.

4. At the same time there is no public support for either Poroshenko or Yatsenyuk. (It's the economy and corruption, stupid.)

4. Times are ripe for another Uprising. Deep alienation and anger at the post- Yanukovych Maidan

pro-euro governance is high. But as David C. Speedie, director of the Council's program on U.S. Global Engagement confesses this time round 

there is not the same "organizational component and a unifying ideology". 

Dissembling on the part of the US-Western media and governments on their role in Maidan and thereafter: 

What David Speedie doesn't admit to is the US role in financing and directing the anger and alienation of the Ukrainian people in the months leading up to 

the late Feb. 2014 anti-Russian coup d'etat. Neither does  he discuss the illegal banning of The Communist Party Of Ukraine, one of the two popular parties in eastern Ukraine.

The reason for this omission is partly alluded to when he admits that pro-Russia solidarity is “still very relevant in regional politics in the East and obviously in Crimea; 

but those are no longer part of [national] Ukrainian politics, so they are just ignored.”

Notes.

See Nicolai Petro's interview of David Speedie: https://www.academia.edu/22616998/Update_on_Ukraine 

and the Feb 19/2016 Carnegie "Update on Ukraine": http://www.carnegiecouncil.org/studio/multimedia/20160219/index.html#section-32885

~ Feb. 16, 2016 BBC article on Ukraine political crisis: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35585651

~March 8, 2016 international ed. of The Ukrainian Week "Petro Poroshenko Bloc: fragmentation" http://ukrainianweek.com/Politics/160227