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Action Ukraine Report

"ACTION UKRAINE REPORT"
In-Depth Ukrainian News and Analysis
"The Art of Ukrainian History, Culture, Arts, Business, Religion,
Sports, Government, and Politics, in Ukraine and Around the World"

THE EUROPEAN UNION DEBATE ABOUT UKRAINE
Membership in EU for Ukraine: Yes; No; Maybe; Not Now; Never?

"ACTION UKRAINE REPORT" Year 2004, Number 40
Action Ukraine Coalition (AUC), Washington, D.C.
www.ArtUkraine.com Information Service (ARTUIS)
morganw@patriot.net, ArtUkraine.com@starpower.net
Washington, D.C., THURSDAY, March 11, 2004

INDEX OF ARTICLES

1. UKRAINE, MOLDOVA, BELARUS AND TURKEY SHOULD STAY
OUTSIDE EU SAYS EU SINGLE MARKET COMMISSIONER,
FRITS BOLKESTEIN, IN HIS NEW BOOK
Bookreview By George Parker and Judy Dempsey in Brussels
New Book "The Limits of Europe" by Frits Bolkestein
Financial Times, London, UK, March 7 2004

2. THE NEW NEAR EAST
EU cooperation needs to be broadened in the future to cover
"the new Near East": Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova
Commentary By Urban Ahlin, The Washington Post,
Washington, D.C., Tuesday, March 9, 2004; Page A23

3. EU WANTS TO GIVE ITS NEW NEIGHBORS LIKE UKRAINE
FULL MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS EXCEPT IN DECISION-
MAKING INSTITUTIONS, RUSSIA THE KEY
Reuters, Brussels, Belgium, Wednesday, March 3, 2004

4. EUROPEAN UNION: IS MEMBERSHIP A BRIDGE TOO FAR
FOR WESTERN BALKANS, UKRAINE, CAUCASUS?
Feature Article By Eugen Tomiuc, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Prague, Czech Republic, Wednesday, March 3, 2004

5. EU TO MAKE STATEMENT ON FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN UKRAINE
To blast Ukraine on its freedom of speech record, BBC reports
Interfax-Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine, March 10, 2004

6. UNITED KINGDOM AMBASSADOR IN UKRAINE EXPRESSES
CONCERNED ABOUT FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA FREEDOM
UNIAN news agency, Kiev, Ukraine, in Ukrainian, 10 Mar 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Mar 10, 2004

7. U.S. DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE RICHARD ARMITAGE
TO VISIT UKRAINE ON MARCH 24-25.
Interfax-Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 10, 2004

8. RUSSIA: WHAT IS TO BE DONE?
War, unemployment, secret-police networks: Lenin's famous poser,
'What is to be done?' is still relevant in Vladimir Putin's Russia.
Hopes of order from chaos hang heavy on next weekend's elections
says Stephen Kotkin.
By Stephen Kotkin, Professor of History at Princeton,
Author of "Armageddon Averted: the Soviet Collapse 1970-2000"
Published by the Financial Times Weekend, FT.com site
London, UK, Saturday/Sunday, Mar 06-07, 2004

9. U.S. HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Committee on Conscience
The 60th Anniversary of the 1944 Chechen and Ingush Deportation:
History, Legacies, Current Crisis, Genocide Watch List
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Washington, D.C., Friday, March 12, 2004, 1 p.m., Classroom B

10. COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESENTS:
AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON POLISH-UKRAINIAN
RELATIONS: PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE
March 26-27, 2004, School of International Affairs
420 West 118th St., Room 1501, (Corner of Amsterdam Ave.), NY, NY

11. POLISH-UKRAINIAN HISTORICAL ENCOUNTERS SERIES
GALA RECEPTION
March 27th, 2004; Time: 6:15 - 11:00 PM
Ukrainian Institute of America, 2 East 79th St., New York, NY

12. THE UKRAINIAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
IN CANADA PRESENTS THE:
Annual Taras Shevchenko Lecture (in English)
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Sunday, March 14, 2004, 2 P.M.
"Interweaving: Folk Motifs in the Works of Taras Shevchenko,
(1814-1861)" by Orysia Tracz, Ukrainian Folk Art Expert
=========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 40: ARTICLE NUMBER ONE
Politics and Governance, Building a Strong, Democratic Ukraine
http://www.artukraine.com/buildukraine/index.htm
=========================================================
1. UKRAINE, MOLDOVA, BELARUS AND TURKEY SHOULD STAY
OUTSIDE EU SAYS EU SINGLE MARKET COMMISSIONER,
FRITS BOLKESTEIN, IN HIS NEW BOOK

Bookreview By George Parker and Judy Dempsey in Brussels
New Book "The Limits of Europe" by Frits Bolkestein
Financial Times, London, UK, March 7 2004

Turkey should be kept outside the European Union to act as a "buffer"
protecting Europe from Syria, Iran and Iraq, according to Frits Bolkestein,
the EU single market commissioner.

Mr Bolkestein argues that the former Soviet republics of Moldova, Belarus
and Ukraine should also be excluded, to insulate Europe from Russia.

His views come in a new book, "The Limits of Europe," in which he warns that
a geographically overstretched Europe would become "little more than a
glorified customs union".

The Dutch liberal is one of the most vocal sceptics of Turkish membership
among the 20 EU commissioners who must recommend in October whether to
start accession talks with Ankara.

However, a majority on the Commission is expected to approve the Turkish
bid, provided Ankara continues its reforms and helps to reunite the island
of Cyprus.

Germany's Christian Democrats, the conservative opposition, are among those
campaigning to exclude Turkey from the EU, while many French politicians are
sceptical or hostile. Valery Giscard d'Estaing, who chaired the European
convention, said in 2002 that Turkish membership would mark "the end of the
European Union".

The issue is expected to be one of the most politically sensitive in the
European parliament's June elections.

In his book Mr Bolkestein says: "In the east, there is a geo- political need
for a buffer zone between the EU and Russia, which might be formed by the
countries that do not belong to either bloc." A similar buffer would also be
advantageous "in order to cushion the Union against Syria, Iran and Iraq".
Officials confirmed he was referring to Turkey.

He also says that once Turkey was a member, it would be hard to deny
membership to a country such as Ukraine. "The Ukraine is more European than
Turkey," he told the Financial Times.

Mr Bolkestein, who hopes to have his mandate renewed when the Commission
stands down in October, qualified the remarks in his book, saying that
Turkish membership with the EU could "export stability".

He said that the extension of the EU to the east would limit further
integration, although the Union's key economic competencies - the single
market, trade policy and competition policy - could continue.

Mr Bolkestein said the EU needed to concentrate on its core tasks to
reconnect with its citizens, including bolstering economic growth.

He also criticised French and German economic reforms, saying they had "not
gone far enough" and that the so-called Rhineland economic model pursued by
the two countries was "responsible for unemployment of 8-9 per cent". (END)
=========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 40: ARTICLE NUMBER TWO
Check Out the News Media for the Latest News >From and About Ukraine
Daily News Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/newsgallery.htm
=========================================================
2. THE NEW NEAR EAST
EU cooperation needs to be broadened in the future to cover
"the new Near East": Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova

Commentary By Urban Ahlin, The Washington Post,
Washington, D.C., Tuesday, March 9, 2004; Page A23

In less than 15 years, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia,
Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have gone from communist dictatorship
to Western-style democracy. The Iron Curtain that divided Europe is gone,
thanks to the energy of the people of these countries and their hunger for
freedom and prosperity.

After World War II, Europe was a continent in tatters. Six countries banded
together to form the Coal and Steel Community to ensure peace and create
prosperity. Now -- more than 50 years later -- the same driving force will
make 75 million people into new citizens of the European Union on May 1.

The expansion means difficulties and challenges for European cooperation.
Negotiations on the new EU constitution were broken off late last year
because of disagreement about the distribution of power among countries. The
talks will resume; there is, in fact, no question of a crisis. But this is a
good example of the sort of difficulties that will arise as East meets West
and many countries with different backgrounds, histories and cultures come
together. Expansion will perhaps bring the most uncertain period in the EU's
history.

Such problems are, of course, of little consequence in comparison with the
advantages. Expansion is a historic step toward a better future for the
whole of Europe. The opportunities are much greater than the difficulties.

For this reason, EU cooperation needs to be broadened in the future to cover
"the new Near East": Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova. The Communist Iron
Curtain used to shut these countries in. Now, as the EU's frontiers move
eastward, the curtain is gone but many people in the new neighbor countries
feel they've once again ended up on the wrong side of a border. This time
they feel shut out. When on May 1 Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland are
given better opportunities for economic growth and welfare, the people of
Belarus and Moldova will instead see greater difficulty in managing their
own sustenance. This is creating unrest and a breeding ground for future
conflict.

Our neighbors in the new Near East inhabit a region that has, unfortunately,
long been treated as the European Union's back yard. An EU policy titled "A
Wider Europe -- a New Neighborhood Initiative" voices EU support for
democratic and economic reforms initiated by its neighboring countries. It's
a good start. But I would suggest that what's really needed is a long-term
approach by the EU to open up opportunities for future membership. It would
constitute a powerful driving force to help these countries democratize and
modernize.

In Russia, yet a farther step eastward, there are disturbing signs that the
movement toward democracy and stability has come to a halt. Last December's
elections to the Duma were free, to be sure, but hardly just. The coming
presidential election features virtually no competition for the incumbent.
Dangerous nationalistic currents can be discerned in public attitudes and in
the longing for a strong leader to restore to Russia something of her former
glory. There is every reason to monitor developments in Russia carefully.

The countries east of the EU are in a delicate phase of their transition to
democracy. Stability and peace not only benefit development in these
countries but are also of great importance for security in a global
perspective. For the sake of future world security, Europe and the United
States must buttress Euro-Atlantic cooperation on safety, and the new Near
East should be a joint priority on our agenda.

In short, the EU's integration with the East must be extended to the
countries that will now become the new neighbors of the European Union and
NATO. The United States must also have a presence in the region. Together we
can support stability, economic prosperity and democracy. General and social
security for the people of Russia and the new neighbor countries will also
bring improved security for the people of the EU and the United States.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The writer, a Social Democrat, is chairman of the Swedish parliament's
Foreign Affairs Committee.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41693-2004Mar8.html
=========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 40: ARTICLE NUMBER THREE
Major Articles About What is Going on in Ukraine
Current Events Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/events/index.htm
=========================================================
3. EU WANTS TO GIVE ITS NEW NEIGHBORS LIKE UKRAINE
FULL MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS EXCEPT IN DECISION-
MAKING INSTITUTIONS, RUSSIA THE KEY

Reuters, Brussels, Belgium, Wednesday, March 3, 2004

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union wants to give its new neighbors
after enlargement all the benefits of membership except a presence in
decision-making institutions, EU Commission President Romano Prodi said on
Wednesday.

"With these countries we intend sharing everything except our institutions,
basing our relations on a community of values and interests,'' he told a
conference.

The executive Commission has been drafting a "new neighborhood'' policy as a
basis for relations with countries the bloc will border after taking in 10
new states on May 1. But so far it has been vague on what form this will
take.

The policy will cover a swathe of Mediterranean countries and former Soviet
states like Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova. Prodi said the EU could
not carry on expanding, but aimed to give its neighbors all benefits of
membership other than a role in bodies like the European parliament or the
Commission itself.

"The ultimate, long-term aim is to extend to these countries the four
freedoms on which the Union is based, so giving tangible form to our
commitment not to erect new barriers across Europe.'' The four freedoms are
the free movement of goods, services, people and capital.

If the proposal came to fruition, it would mean a citizen of, say, Russia or
Morocco would have the same rights as a German or a Briton to move to an EU
country without a visa, transfer money there, buy a house and take up a job.
Pressed on the point, Prodi was adamant: "I mean everything but
institutions.''

RUSSIA THE KEY

He was speaking as EU relations with Russia, by far the most economically
and politically important of the EU's neighbors, are strained over
enlargement. Eight of the 10 countries joining in May are former Soviet bloc
states.

Moscow has failed to extend a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA),
covering all aspects of relations with the EU, fearing it will lose out
economically as the PCA would overwrite existing bilateral treaties with
acceding trade partners.

There are also tensions over Chechnya, the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad,
which will be locked inside EU territory after enlargement, Russian troops
in Georgia and Moldova, and the status of Russian speakers in Baltic states
joining the EU.

Russian opposition politician Grigory Yavlinsky told the same conference the
EU had to integrate with all ex-Soviet states in Europe over the next 20 to
30 years to remain economically competitive with North America and South
East Asia.

He added that the Union had to work out a strategy toward Russia, often
deeply suspicious of its eastern expansion. "What do we need? A transparent,
clear, value-based, friendly policy toward Russia, very open, very concrete,
very tough, very clear.'' (END) (ARTUIS)
=========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 40: ARTICLE NUMBER FOUR
Exciting Opportunities in Ukraine for Travel and Tourism
Travel and Tourism Gallery: http://www.ArtUkraine.com/tourgallery.htm
=========================================================
4. EUROPEAN UNION: IS MEMBERSHIP A BRIDGE TOO FAR
FOR WESTERN BALKANS, UKRAINE, CAUCASUS?

Feature Article By Eugen Tomiuc, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Prague, Czech Republic, March 3, 2004

The European Union, which in May undergoes the largest expansion in
its history, has reiterated that possible enlargement in future will
continue to strictly depend on prospective candidates fulfilling admission
criteria.

Analysts say a further enlargement of the bloc to include other countries
in the Balkans and Eastern Europe will depend both on the countries'
readiness and on how fast the expanded EU can integrate the 10 new
members. But they add that, in the long run, the EU is likely to shift
focus from enlargement itself to partnership agreements with its future
neighbors.

Prague, 3 March 2004 (RFE/RL) -- On 1 May, the European Union will
take in 10 new, mostly Eastern European, members in what is hailed as
a historic step toward the reunification of the continent.

The 15-nation EU will grow to 25 members once Cyprus, the Czech
Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland,
Slovakia, and Slovenia join. The bloc is expected to further expand
to 27 countries in 2007, when Bulgaria and Romania are likely to be
admitted.

But analysts say general support for enlargement within the EU is
dwindling, due to the costs of taking in the first 10 countries and
to the slow pace of implementation of the body of EU laws known as
the acquis communautaire.

Analyst Joan Hoey, of the London-based Economist Intelligence Unit,
told RFE/RL that the EU's executive body, the European Commission, is
likely to show even more strictness toward future candidates.

"Although the [European] Commission is saying that negotiations are
going to be on the same basis, obviously the whole climate has
changed and is about to change [further] after May 2004. There is
this enlargement fatigue. Support for enlargement is falling. There's
a political backlash that's gathered momentum in some countries.
There is growing skepticism about the implementation of the acquis in
the eight East European countries that are joining in May, and
there's a nervousness about the costs of enlargement," Hoey said.

In a sign that it means business when it comes to enlargement, the EU
sent a strong warning to laggard candidate Romania last month, saying
it risks missing the 2007 target unless it takes rapid and decisive
measures to implement judicial reform, get rid of endemic corruption,
and stop pressure on the free media.

A European Parliament report on Romania stopped short of recommending
the suspension of accession talks, but issued a tough wake-up call
for Bucharest to pursue a complete "reorientation" in the country's
strategy for joining the EU.

Bucharest's slow progress toward fulfilling the admission criteria
has raised the question of whether prospective candidates could be
taken in before they are completely ready.

Analysts point to the example of Greece, which became a successful EU
member despite its apparent unpreparedness when it was admitted in
1981, only years after having experienced a military dictatorship.

But analyst Kirsty Hughes, of the Brussels-based Center for European
Policy Studies (CEPS) says accepting unprepared members after this
year's huge expansion could undermine the EU.

"Obviously, if countries are brought in when they're not fully ready,
especially when we're facing such a big enlargement [with] so many
new member states, then the more member states you have who aren't
acting as they should, who aren't implementing laws as they should,
who aren't following the rules as they are, who aren't true
democracies, then that is potentially going to undermine the EU
unless the EU applies the sanctions it has, that it can use against
member states. But the more member states that are breaking the
rules, the more difficult it is to apply serious sanctions against
them," Hughes said.

Countries in the western Balkans, such as Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia,
Albania or Serbia and Montenegro, have also expressed interest in
European integration, with Croatia best positioned to be accepted as
a candidate.

Farther east, Moldova, Ukraine, and, more recently, Georgia have made
no secret of their European aspirations.

Experts say the way the EU treats Romania's candidacy could become a
case study for other, more distant, EU hopefuls.

Political analyst Tom Gallagher, of the University of Bradford in
Britain, told RFE/RL that he believes the EU would be taking a risk
by accepting Romania before it is fully ready for membership.

"If the accession process regarding Romania went wrong, and Romania
turned out to be a huge headache for the EU after it became a full
member, I think the motivation and commitment for expanding to the
rest of the Balkans would diminish, and people would just shrink from
the bigger task of integrating countries in the Caucasus and farther
east," Gallagher said.

Hughes of CEPS says any future expansion beyond Bulgaria and Romania
will largely depend on how the EU shapes itself over the next several
years.

"I think what we have to look very much for [is] what happens in the
next three, four, or five years -- how much the EU changes, how
difficult it finds it to operate at 25 [members], whether it becomes
a rather looser, for instance, sort of organization. All those
questions are very much unknown and that, therefore, impacts on what
you could say about future candidacies from the western Balkans or
even from countries like Georgia or Ukraine. I think it's perfectly
feasible to imagine that in the next five to 10 years, a country like
Croatia may join the EU, but whether countries like Bosnia or Albania
are going to be ready -- even in the medium run -- is quite unclear,"
Hughes said.

But Hughes also warns that EU membership may remain a bridge too far
for many eastern countries. She points to the fact that the current
political trend within the EU favors partnership agreements with
future neighbors over promises of full-fledged membership.

"When one looks farther east, the EU itself has a political decision
to make about whether it is at any point going to say, 'We have
borders. We have a point when we stop expanding. We have a point when
we try and make good friends and associates with our neighbors rather
than members.' And I think what the EU has clearly been trying to do
in the last year or so is to say to countries like Ukraine and
Moldova, 'You are really not on the agenda of potential candidates
for 20 years or more, so please don't even try and talk about it.
Let's talk about building good relations.' That may not be what
Georgia [for example] wants to hear, but that, for the moment, is
current political reality," Hughes said. (END) (ARTUIS)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2004/03/dbfea7c2-d968-41db-865d-
f7a279247c27.html [paste link together]
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 40: ARTICLE NUMBER FIVE
The Story of Ukraine's Long and Rich Culture
Ukrainian Culture Gallery: http://www.ArtUkraine.com/cultgallery.htm
=========================================================
5. EU TO MAKE STATEMENT ON FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN UKRAINE
To blast Ukraine on its freedom of speech record

Interfax-Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine, March 10, 2004

KYIV - The European Union is to blast Ukraine on its freedom of speech
record, the Ukrainian Service of the BBC reported on Wednesday.

The EU is expected to condemn the Ukrainian authorities for closing
Radio Continent, which rebroadcast material from of the BBC, Deutsche
Welle, Radio Liberty, and Voice of America.

The European Commission delegation in Ukraine told Interfax-Ukraine
that a statement on the closure, harshly critical of the authorities,
could come as early as Wednesday, March 10.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EDITOR'S NOTE: Will Canada be making any statements about
the freedom of speech and freedom of the press situation in Ukraine?
=========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 40: ARTICLE NUMBER SIX
The Genocidal Famine in Ukraine 1932-1933, HOLODOMOR
Genocide Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/famineart/index.htm
=========================================================
6. UNITED KINGDOM AMBASSADOR IN UKRAINE EXPRESSES
CONCERNED ABOUT FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA FREEDOM

UNIAN news agency, Kiev, Ukraine, in Ukrainian, 10 Mar 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Mar 10, 2004

UK ambassador in Ukraine Robert Brinkley expressed concern about freedom of
speech in Ukraine after thousands protested against pressure on independent
media in central Kiev on 9 March. The following is the text of a report by
the Ukrainian news agency UNIAN:

Donetsk, 10 March: "If Ukrainian voters receive information from only one
source, this is a defective democracy," UK ambassador in Ukraine Robert
Brinkley told a news conference in Donetsk today during his two-day visit to
Donetsk Region.

Commenting on the state of freedom of speech in Ukraine, he said: "I would
like to express the concern of the UK government and the governments of
other European states regarding the closure of the Kontynent radio [which
broadcast programmes of the BBC Ukrainian Service, Deutsche Welle and Voice
of America] and a number of other cases of suppression of those media in
Ukraine that express the views of opposition and independent forces".

"It is extremely important that voters had complete information, a variety
of reports and opinions about the situation in Ukraine and about various
political forces," Brinkley said.

The UK ambassador today opened an interactive exhibition called UK Media for
Tolerance: Different Voices - Shared Values, which is being held at the
resource centre of the British Council in Donetsk. It is part of the joint
project of the British Council and the British embassy in Ukraine. (END)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
EDITOR'S NOTE: Will Canada also be speaking out on this issue?
.=========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 40: ARTICLE NUMBER SEVEN
Ukraine's History and the Long Struggle for Independence
Historical Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/histgallery.htm
==========================================================
7. U.S. DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE RICHARD ARMITAGE
TO VISIT UKRAINE ON MARCH 24-25.

Interfax-Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 10, 2004

WASHINGTON - US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage is
scheduled to visit Ukraine on March 24-25.

Ukrainian embassy in the US told Interfax-Ukraine that this was announced at
the Ukraine-US consultations on foreign policy and security, which are
underway in Washington March 9-11.

The Ukrainian delegation is headed by First Deputy Foreign Minister
Volodymyr Yelchenko, and the US by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
Steven Pifer.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's embassy in the US reported the upcoming ballot has
been touched upon during the Washington consultations.

The Ukrainian delegation to the talks is led by First Deputy Foreign
Minister Volodymyr Yelchenko, and the US by Steven Pifer, Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State.

Yelchenko once again assured the US party that the presidential elections in
Ukraine and preparations for them would proceed in keeping with
international norms and democratic standards. He also pointed out the
importance of completing the constitutional reform in Ukraine.

The parties also discussed at the consultations the situation in Iraq and
interaction between Ukraine and the US in that country in the light of
signing a provisional constitution of Iraq, the Ukrainian delegation head
said.

Attention was also paid to preparing a scheduled meeting of the
Ukrainian-American economic committee due to be called in April.

Meetings of the Ukrainian-US committee for external policy have been called
since November 1996, and are of a consultative character. (END) (ARTUIS)
========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 40: ARTICLE NUMBER EIGHT
The Rich History of Ukrainian Art, Music, Pysanka, Folk-Art
Arts Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/artgallery.htm
=========================================================
8. RUSSIA: WHAT IS TO BE DONE?
War, unemployment, secret-police networks: Lenin's famous poser,
'What is to be done?' is still relevant in Vladimir Putin's
Russia. Hopes of order from chaos hang heavy on next weekend's elections
says Stephen Kotkin.

By Stephen Kotkin, Professor of History at Princeton,
Author of "Armageddon Averted: the Soviet Collapse 1970-2000"
Financial Times Weekend, FT.com site
London, UK, Saturday/Sunday, Mar 06-07, 2004

A country ravaged for seven decades by the secret police elects a former
colonel of that police as president: after one term, he's more popular than
ever and is on the verge of a landslide re-election. A few weeks before that
election, he fires his entire cabinet. This is seen as an act of wisdom. The
country's communists, who sometimes march bearing portraits of Stalin, stand
up for the prerogatives of parliament and protest against creeping
dictatorship - only to be trounced at the ballot box. Would-be barons grab
on a continental scale and, when expropriated by the state, get defended by
NGOs dedicated to the memory of millions of political prisoners.

Such is the paradoxical nature of Vladimir Putin's Russia.

After the Soviet state cracked open, a freewheeling media, NGOs, new
religions and billionaires arose in the cracks. Little of this was based
upon secure private property, an independent and powerful judiciary, or
genuine parliamentary (as opposed to "presidential") rule. The illiberal
state institutions that were inherited by the newly independent countries
began to regroup, and these hyper-executive bodies found few obstacles to
closing the cracks - a grim process, first visible in Central Asia.
Non-state media were shut down or taken over, NGOs forced out of existence
or underground, private enterprises confiscated, internet routing points
policed. The newly elected elites found that governing a modern society -
encouraging private investment, building public infrastructure, combating
crime and Aids - was extremely hard. But for them, surveillance and
persecution are second nature.

All this has provoked howls about the overturning of "democracy". It's an
understandable lament, but it emanates from a misinterpretation of the
1990s, when disarray rather than institutionalised rule of law prevailed.
The present offensive on the part of the central state (less successful than
either proponents or critics claim) cannot be credited solely to Putin - any
more than Ukraine's can be attributed to Leonid Kuchma, Belarus's to
Aleksandr Lukashenka, Uzbekistan's to Islam Karimov, Kazakhstan's to
Nursultan Nazarbaev, Turkmenistan's to Saparmurat Niyazov, and the rest. The
phenomenon is not Putin, it is structural - a Soviet hangover. It is with
this in mind that we have to assess the Russian president's anticipated
sweep at the polls on March 14, as well as the future of Eurasia.

Just two decades ago, in the great Orwellian year, Konstantin Chernenko,
then dying of emphysema, succeeded Yuri Andropov, who had just died of
kidney failure. In a semiconscious state, Chernenko became the fifth general
secretary of an empire with nearly 300 million souls, more than half-a-dozen
dependencies on three continents, nearly six million soldiers, comparable
legions in overlapping administrative agencies, 40,000 nuclear warheads, an
even greater cache of chemical and biological weapons, and tens of thousands
of elephantine factories mass-manufacturing toxicities in 11 time zones. It
was utterly out of sync and a throwback to the epoch between the world wars,
yet still very formidable: a wheezing dinosaur, but one with fearsome teeth.
Almost alone, the political-prisoner-then-exile, Andrei Amalrik, forecast
demise - in Will the Soviet Union Survive Until 1984? - but he foresaw
collapse resulting from a cataclysmic war with China. Such a confrontation
may come to pass, but it will be too late for the Soviet Union.

"--------------------------------------------------------------"

NOTE: To read all of this very important analytical article by Stephen
Kotkin, kotkin@princeton.edu, about Russia click on the following
link: http://www.artukraine.com/buildukraine/kotkin.htm
=========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 40: ARTICLE NUMBER NINE
The Art of Private Voluntary Organizations in Supporting Ukraine
Support Ukraine Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/uasupport/index.htm
=========================================================
9. U.S. HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Committee on Conscience
Washington, D.C.

The 60th Anniversary of the 1944 Chechen and Ingush Deportation:
History, Legacies, Current Crisis

Friday, March 12, 2004, 1 p.m., Classroom B

On February 23, 1944, the Soviet NKVD began its operation to deport the
entire Chechen and Ingush nations to Siberia and Central Asia. What
happened during the deportation process and years of exile? Sixty years
later, what is the continuing legacy of the deportations in both Chechen
and Russian societies?

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's Committee on Conscience, which
has placed Chechnya on its Genocide Watch list, invites you to join us for a
panel to discuss these questions.

SPEAKERS:

Michaela Pohl, History Department, Vassar College
Satsita Muradova, former lawyer with the Russian human rights organization,
Memorial
Georgii Derluguian, Sociology Department, Northwestern University
Svetlana Gannushkina, Chairperson of the "Civic Assistance" Committee for
Refugees and member of Russian Federation Presidential Commission on Human
Rights

This event is free and open to the public. It is held in the U.S. Holocaust
Memorial Museum, 100 Raoul Wallenberg Pl, SW, Washington, D.C. 20024.
Metro: Smithsonian. www.committeeonconscience.org, BConley@ushmm.org
=========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 40: ARTICLE NUMBER TEN
Politics and Governance, Building a Strong, Democratic Ukraine
http://www.artukraine.com/buildukraine/index.htm
=========================================================
10. COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESENTS:
AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON POLISH-UKRAINIAN
RELATIONS: PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE

March 26-27, 2004, School of International Affairs
420 West 118th St., Room 1501, (Corner of Amsterdam Ave.),
New York City, NY

PROGRAM
FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 2004

2:00 PM - 2:30 pm: Opening Remarks:
John S. Micgiel, Director of the East Central European Center,
Columbia University
2:30 PM - 6:00 pm: I. Polish-Ukrainian Relations: Past
16th Century - 18th Century:
Moderator: Michal Buchowski
Andrzej Kaminski, Frank Sysyn:

World War I and Aftermath:
Moderator: Taras Hunczak
Andrzej Nowak, Vladyslav Verstyuk

World War II and Aftermath:
Moderator: Andrzej Paczkowski
Rafal Wnuk, Yuri Shapoval, Jaroslaw Pelenski

6:00 PM - 7:30 pm: Conference Reception

SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2004
Lunch: 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

1:30 pm - 3:00 pm: II. Polish-Ukrainian Relations: Present
Moderator: John Kubiniec
Krzysztof Stanowski, Taras Voznyak
3:15 PM - 4:45 pm: III. Polish-Ukrainian Relations: Future
Moderator: John S. Micgiel
Piotr Naimski, Borys Tarasyuk
4:45 PM - 5:15 pm: Closing Remarks
Mark von Hagen, Columbia University

This Conference is free and open to the public.
For more information please write to ms2147@columbia.edu.
=========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 40: ARTICLE NUMBER ELEVEN
Politics and Governance, Building a Strong, Democratic Ukraine
http://www.artukraine.com/buildukraine/index.htm
=========================================================
11. POLISH-UKRAINIAN HISTORICAL ENCOUNTERS SERIES
GALA RECEPTION
March 27th, 2004; Time: 6:15 - 11:00 PM

Ukrainian Institute of America
2 East 79th St. New York, NY
Date: Events Coordinator: Roman Czajkivsky
EVENT SCHEDULE: :
6:15 - 7:00 Cocktail Hour (Wine and Cheese Served in the 1st Floor
Reception Area)
7:00 - 8:00 Reception (Food Served in the 2nd Floor Reception Area)
8:00 - 9:00 Opening Remarks:
Walter Nazarewicz/ President of UIA
Mykhajlo Sawkiw Jr./ President of the Ukr. Congress Comm. of America
Jacek Galazka/ President of the Pilsudski Institute
Joseph E. Gore/ President of the Kocziuszko Foundation
Featured Remarks:
Chair: Volodymyr Kurylo/Head of the United Ukrainian Organizations of NY
Keynotes: Amb.Valeriy Kuchynsky/ UA Permanent Representative to the UN,
Amb. Janusz Stanczyk/ PL Permanent Representative to the UN
9:00 - 11:00 Reception (Desserts and Coffee Served on the 3rd Floor)
Special Invited Guests of Honor Include: PL Delegation to the CU/NYU
Fora; UA Delegation to the CU/NYU Fora; Dress Code: Business Attire.
=========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 40: ARTICLE NUMBER TWELVE
Economic News: http://www.artukraine.com/econews/index.htm
=========================================================
12. THE UKRAINIAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
IN CANADA PRESENTS THE:

Annual Taras Shevchenko Lecture (in English)
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Sunday, March 14, 2004, 2 P.M.

"Interweaving: Folk Motifs in the Works of Taras Shevchenko,
(1814-1861)" by Orysia Tracz

Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Centre (Oseredok)
184 Alexander Avenue East (north of the Manitoba Museum)
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
For further information: Rt. Rev. Dr. Oleh Krawchenko, President,
474-8931; Dr. Roman Yereniuk, Secretary, 474-7011 [Canada]
==========================================================
ARTICLES ARE FOR PERSONAL AND ACADEMIC USE ONLY
==========================================================
NEWS AND INFORMATION WEBSITE ABOUT UKRAINE
LINK: http://www.ArtUkraine.com
=========================================================
New Issue Just Published...Year 2003, Issue 3-4
FOLK ART MAGAZINE: NARODNE MYSTETSTVO
LINK: http://www.artukraine.com/primitive/artmagazine.htm
=========================================================
NEW BOOK: Three Hundred Eleven Personal Interviews, Famine 32-33.
"UKRAINIANS ABOUT FAMINE 1932-1933," Prof. Sokil, Lviv, Ukraine
http://www.artukraine.com/famineart/sokil.htm
=========================================================
INFORMATION ABOUT "ACTION UKRAINE REPORT" 2004
The "ACTION UKRAINE REPORT" 2004, is an in-depth news and analysis
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C. U.S.-UKRAINE FOUNDATION (USUF), Nadia Komarnyckyj
McConnell, President; John A. Kun, VP/COO; Markian Bilynskyj, VP, Dir.
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Washington, New York, London, Brussels, Geneva and Prague
4. KIEV-ATLANTIC UKRAINE, David and Tamara Sweere, Founders
and Managers; Kyiv, Ukraine
5. POTENTIAL, the launching of a new business journal for Ukraine.
http://www.usukraine.org/potential.shtml#about
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Washington, D.C., Brussels, Belgium
7. INDIVIDUALS, CORPORATIONS and FOUNDATIONS:
who are financial sponsors of "ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004.
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PUBLISHER AND EDITOR
E. Morgan Williams, Senior Advisor, Government Relations and
Foundation Development, U.S.-Ukraine Foundation (USUF)
Coordinator: Action Ukraine Coalition (UAC)
Advisor, Ukraine-U.S. Business Council
Publisher and Editor: "ACTION UKRAINE REPORT" 2004
www.ArtUkraine.com Information Service (ARTUIS).
http://www.ArtUkraine.com News and Information Website,
P.O. Box 2607, Washington, D.C. 20013
Tel: 202 437 4707, morganw@patriot.net
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