Russia has, or would like to project, a new face to match the new post-Soviet era. Yet President Putin is proving the adage that old habits die hard to be precise. A KGB man, he has yet to shake off his genetically modified behavior to suit the new era. Not long ago he used the school incident to deny his citizens democratic procedures to elect their governors. The Kremlin would appoint them, he declared. And that, as if by magic, will solve his problems.
Today, the proven poisoning of Yushchenko with Dioxin is another feather in the ex-KGB man’s hat. Yushchenko accused the Ukrainian government of this poisoning. A bigger question, however, is how involved is Russia’s Putin? Putin congratulated his ally on ‘winning’ the elections before the official results were out. The Ukrainian Parliament then annulled the vote as fraudulent. The West, led by the US, was indignant and seemed surprised.
It is not hard to put two and two together and come up with a suspicious theory. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that poisoned umbrella tips were used by Soviet and Romanian agents in the bustling streets of Western capitals. Yushchenko seems a competent man and is hugely popular as witnessed by the masses demonstrating in his name. If you listen to the man, you will also see that he is sincere, educated, and has something Putin does not have: integrity.
The West must make a solid stand on this one. President Bush is being watched to see his reaction to this crisis. Around here, it is a fascinating topic. People want to see if his zealous approach is global or just tailor-made for the Middle East. Poisoning an opposition candidate is terrorism in my book, and deserves to be included in the global war on terror.
Yuschchenko has not been ‘appointed’ by anyone. He is fighting for his country and the Ukrainians are behind him. If he does not get the support that Allawi, for example, gets, the game is over. Opponents in wars of this nature (terror) are blunt and crude in method and diction. The rest of us cannot afford to be so.
We need subtlety to convey to the majority of humanity the legitimacy of such action. The actions themselves can be just as blunt and crude, but the signals sent around the world need to be gentler.
This incident has proven one thing, if nothing else: It is a clear verdict about ex-regime people putting on a new face and claiming that they are democrats after all. We have suspected as much all along and, thanks to Mr. Putin, we now have confirmation. Those who messed up the world and their countries are not the ones who will fix the problem. They themselves are the problem.
Putting on the mask of Orpheus does not make you a competent lyre player.
