Marxists and the conflict in the Ukraine

A good analysis of what's going on in the Ukraine. Click on the title to link to the full article - PolPop.

Both sides are reactionary! Fight for a workers’ alternative!

By Fred Weston

The situation in the Ukraine is extremely tense. Viktor Yanukovich was declared the winner in Sunday’s presidential second round elections. He is seen by all as the pro-Moscow man. Viktor Yushchenko, the openly pro-Western candidate, has challenged the results. It seems clear that significant levels of fraud may have taken place in the elections.

It is an indication of the position that the Ukraine occupies that the major candidates in the presidential elections are seen as either pro-Russian or pro-Western. As the BBC has reported “it is seen as an east-west showdown”. This reveals the weakness of the ruling elite in the Ukraine. It cannot follow an independent road of development and becomes a mere pawn in the struggle between stronger powers. Thus within the ruling circles there is a conflict over which way the country should turn: either build closer links with Russia or openly espouse the West. This is also reflected in the geographic spread of support for the two candidates, with the East leaning towards Russia and the West towards the European Union and the USA . . .