Putin's Angela Merkel and Walter Steinmeier have forgotten that their German "economic powerhouse" is built on "Marshall Aid".
David M. Herszenhorn (left), writing about the lingering concerns over corruption in the Ukraine, one year after the Maidan revolution that overthrew the corrupt regime of Yanukovich, informs us that Egor Sobolev has stated that,
"...Corruption investigations against other former officials and executives of state-owned companies have largely stalled.
............
“The
biggest problem in the country is we do not have a real system of
justice, we do not have judges, most of them are people from
Yanukovych’s time, very corrupted,” he said. “The same situation with
prosecutors.” (New York Times :
What is even more disconcerting is that,
"Officials also now fret openly that more than $40 billion pledged by the
International Monetary Fund and allies, including the United States and
the European Union, will not be enough to keep the country afloat." (ibid David M. Herszenhorn) (my emphasis)
But let us pause for a moment and cast out minds back to West Germany immediately after the war.
"Denazification was an Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society, culture, press, economy, judiciary, and politics of any remnants of the National Socialist ideology (Nazism).
It was carried out specifically by removing from positions of power and influence those who had been Nazi Party
members and by disbanding or rendering impotent the organizations
associated with Nazism. The program of denazification was launched after
the end of the Second World War" (Wikipedia)
To this end the Allies poured money into West Germany (approximately $20 billion in todays currency) and instituted a re-education program for the whole of the German populace, to expunge from their minds the Nazi ideology.
"The Germans autonomously restructured their system of society which was up to standard
of the Western democracies in 1960's. " (Saila Anttonen : European Conference on Educational Research : September 2002) (my emphasis) In other words, it took West Germany 20+ years to do what many are now saying that the Ukrainians should have done in ONE year.
Compared to the approximately $20 billion (at today's prices) poured into West Germany after WWII,
"$40 billion [has been] pledged [to Ukraine] by the International Monetary Fund and allies, including the United States and the European Union" (ibid David M. Herszenhorn) (my emphasis)
In other words, this money HAS NOT been poured into Ukraine. Ukraine has been pledged that it will receive this money only if it 'magically' fulfills ALL the conditions laid down by the IMF and the EU in particular about radically transforming its society, government, and economy not tomorrow, but now!
And yet, as Lawrence Summers (right), former US Treasury Secretary, rather concisely states,
"The moral, geopolitical, and economic case for the provision of strong
support [for Ukraine] is compelling. The International Monetary Fund has done as much
as can reasonably be asked with a programme totalling $17.5bn. While
bilateral support from the US and Europe could be increased and the
World Bank is missing a major opportunity, Ukraine’s viability
ultimately depends on what happens to its debts." (FT : May 17, 2015) (my emphasis)
Given this feet-dragging over Ukraine by the US and the EU, is it any wonder, that Alexander Baunov (left) of the Carnegie Moscow Institute states that,
“Russia is just waiting for the internal problems of Ukraine to make it
less attractive for the West,” said Alexander Baunov of the Carnegie
Moscow Institute, a research group. “Putin’s hope is Russia doesn’t need
to make Ukraine weak. Ukraine will be weak by itself, and he can just
wait awhile and take advantage of its weakness sometime in the future.” (ibid David M. Herszenhorn) (my emphasis)
And clothing Putin's hope we have the PutinversteherWalter Steinmeir and Angela Merkel (right) still desperately,
"....clinging to a fraying peace deal in Ukraine and forcing Kiev to follow
suit, even though Russian President Vladimir Putin shows no sign of
wavering and NATO is warning that Moscow may be preparing for a new
offensive." (Reuters : 17 May, 2015) (my emphasis)
"This offers little consolation to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (right)
who, while under pressure at home over a steady loss of troops fighting
pro-Moscow rebels in the east, has to keep in diplomatic step with the
West whose political and financial help he needs." (ibid Reuters) (my emphasis) Only this morning do we learn that,
"Ukrainian forces claimed to have captured two Russian special forces officers fighting in eastern Ukraine, in what would be the first capture of Russian personnel – if confirmed – since a ceasefire deal signed in February." (Roland Oliphant : The Telegraph :17 May 2015) (my emphasis) (cf. also BBC News)
One of the soldiers identified himself as, "Aleksandr Aleksandrov - a sergeant in the third special forces brigade." (ibid BBC) (my emphasis)
"DONETSK, Ukraine — This once-booming
industrial city of 1 million is now largely a lawless and lifeless
center of eastern Ukraine's separatist movement, where residents live
under constant threat from marauding militias.
.....
Most stores have shut down, and
only a few restaurants remain open, filled mainly with young separatist
militia fighters in dark green fatigues (above) who rampage through the city as
if it were their own playground, civilian residents say. " (USA Today : May 17, 2015) (my emphasis)
And whilst those citizens in Donetsk have to live under Putin's proxies who, "are able to carry out criminal acts with impunity",
" .... the St Petersburg Cossack Society ... [unveiled] an astonishing bust of the president as an all-conquering Roman Caesar. Wearing plate armour and dressed in a flowing toga, the sycophantic statue has been created in the mould of those seen in ancient Rome and once reserved for powerful leaders." (Corey Charlton : MailOnline: 17 May 2015) (my emphasis)
As if to live up to the image of this bust of himself as an "all-conquering Roman Ceasar" we learn that Putin scored eight goals in an 18-6 win in an ice-hockey match in Sochi.
And ".... as man of the match, Shoigu (a member of his Kremlin 'siloviki' clan) was presented with a prize - a holiday in newly-annexed Crimea." (ibid Corey Charlton) (my emphasis)
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