by Gordon M. Hahn
Ending the year on a light note (except for the minor detail that I and my fellow Americans’ tax dollars are paying for this).
On December 8th, U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden, one of the champions of the Ukraine’s initially pro-democratic Maidan revolution then hijacked by neo-fascists in Kiev on 20 February 2014, gave a speech to the Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada (Supreme Council). Telling the Rada’s deputies, among other things, not to be ‘like Russia’ he said: “I need not tell you that this (establishing democracy) is a joint responsibility. The president, the prime minister, the members of this august body—all of you must put aside parochial differences and make real the revolution of dignity” (www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x9mT9jfzvw).
As I have repeatedly emphasized, all of the former Soviet Union is plagued by several common maladies; two of the most defining for the region’s democracy deficit are a conflictive political culture and ultra-nationalism. These characteristics of post-Soviet polities do not allow much room for making compromises. Thus, Ukrainians are likely to have trouble holding to Biden’s first proposal; they have wholeheartedly rejected the second. This is evident from two events that occurred in Kiev in the days following Biden’s visit and many, many more prior to it.
The first event can be viewed in the link below—a video excerpt from December 11th session of the Verkhovna Rada:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zgTl6-KWqg
But it gets ‘better.’ Below is a video of part of a December 16th session of the Ukrainian government’s Council on Reforms (?!):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1GVCwhscu4
The full text of the ‘debate’ is found below. It should be noted that the blonde-haired woman, a deputy in Biden’s ‘august body’, sitting next to Saakashvili in the video is Aleksandra Kuzhel’. She was just released from hospital where she was treated for a concussion after being belted over the head with a bottle just off the floor of a session of that ‘august body’ by another Rada deputy, the ultra-nationalist Andriy Teteruk (in the photo above with the US government’s USAID logo behind him), after a dispute at the podium between the two (www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ2DoyqfPCE). The video of that parliamentary endeavor is here: (http://video.vesti-ukr.com/politika/5176-video-draki-teteruka-i-kuzhel). The Rada, with its large neo-fascist, ultra-nationalist, and national chauvinist contingent, voted not to punish Teteruk.
TRANSCRIPT OF SPAT AT UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT’S COUNCIL ON REFORMS
THE CAST:
Arsen Avakov, Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine (one Armenian, supported by the US)
Mikhail Saakashvili, Governor of Odessa Region of Ukraine, former President of Georgia, on the wanted list in Georgia now.
SUPPORTING CAST:
Petro Poroshenko, President of Ukraine and presiding officer at the Cabinet meeting.
Arsen Yatsenyuk, Prime Minister of Ukraine and silent throughout the session.
The curtain opens:
00:01 AVAKOV: Mikhail Grigorievich, I’m reacting to the things you’ve said
00:04 AVAKOV: I’ve written some of them here
00:05 AVAKOV: I paid close attention to your speech
00:07 AVAKOV: and summary regarding… that was happening on your Odessa…
00:12 AVAKOV: anti-corruption forum
00:13 AVAKOV: You are speaking softer now
00:15 AVAKOV: I don’t get it
00:16 AVAKOV: You said that the cabinet of ministers itself was heading the corruption
00:19 AVAKOV: You stated that without proofs, you stated that loud and clear
00:23 AVAKOV: explicitly
00:23 SAAKASHVILI: With lots of proofs
00:24 AVAKOV: Maybe let me finish first and then you’ll answer?
00:25 SAAKASHVILI: With lots of proofs
00:27 SAAKASHVILI: With lots of proofs and I’m going to find even more proofs
00:29 SAAKASHVILI: and inform general public about it
00:30 AVAKOV: Mr. President, I’ve got a favor to ask from you, are we maintaining the order here?
00:33 SAAKASHVILI: …what do you mean I’m softer? Yes, your Martinenko is a criminal
00:35 AVAKOV: How do you usually speak in such cases?
00:37 AVAKOV: Be-be-be-be-be, like that, right?
00:39 SAAKASHVILI: What do you mean?
00:40 SAAKASHVILI: Be-be-be-be, no one has ever spoken to me like this!
00:43 AVAKOV: I’m going to speak to you like this!
00:44 SAAKASHVILI: I don’t give a damn about how you are going to speak to me
00:46 AVAKOV: Then get the damn out of here if you don’t give a damn
00:48 Poroshenko: Arsen Borisovich, I’m…
00:50 SAAKASHVILI: I’m calling you to politeness
00:53 AVAKOV: Shut up
00:54 SAAKASHVILI: Unlike you I don’t have millions and billions
00:56 AVAKOV: I’m not speaking for you
00:57 SAAKASHVILI: No, I’m repeating it
00:58 AVAKOV: You’ll answer for your billions somewhere else
1:00 SAAKASHVILI: My… regarding my billions, Russia already attempted to find them. Look for them properly
1:05 AVAKOV: I.. I.. SAAKASHVILI: Look for them!
1:07 SAAKASHVILI: Look for them!
1:08 POROSHENKO: Everybody… I…
1:09 POROSHENKO: Stop it everyone!
1:11 SAAKASHVILI: I’m not going to tolerate such words from a corrupt minister
1:13 AVAKOV: Shut up, you corrupt governor
1:16 SAAKASHVILI: What?
1:17 POROSHENKO: I’m asking…
1:17 AVAKOV: What you heard!
1:19 AVAKOV: f4cking thief
1:21 POROSHENKO: Arsen Borisovich
1:22 POROSHENKO: May you avoid usage of the obscene language?
1:23 AVAKOV: Was there an obscene language?
1:25 POROSHENKO: Yes, there was
1:27 POROSHENKO: Alright, Arseniy Petrovich [Yatsenuk], please…
1:29 AVAKOV: I’d like to finish
1:31 POROSHENKO: Then I ask you to keep to the topic of the speech
1:34 POROSHENKO: not to the comments
1:36 POROSHENKO: The scene is yours, Arsen Borisovich
1:39 AVAKOV: When we are speaking about the whole list of things that have been said
1:42 AVAKOV: Of course privatization
1:44 AVAKOV: Of course a total privatization
1:46 AVAKOV: including OPZ [Odessa Port Plant]
1:49 AVAKOV: In order to, among the other things, maximize bring to the bright light and privatize the entire OPZ
1:56 AVAKOV: So, I have a question
1:57 AVAKOV: Are you, Mr. Saakashvili, preventing the privatization of the OPZ with your actions or not?
2:03 SAAKASHVILI: I’m not going to discuss anything with you after your words
2:06 SAAKASHVILI: After your words I’ll be debating with you only publicly
2:10 SAAKASHVILI: I’ll prove that you personally are a thief!
2:12 SAAKASHVILI: I’ll prove that indeed that cabinet of ministers is heading the corruption
2:17 SAAKASHVILI: And I will… No one… I will never allow… I… unlike you, I don’t have money
2:20 SAAKASHVILI: But instead I have a conscience and the reputation!
2:22 SAAKASHVILI: I’m not going to tolerate some Avakov, who’s a thief…
2:26 SAAKASHVILI: Who everyone knows he’s controlling the [corruption] schemes!
2:29 SAAKASHVILI: to speak to Saakashvili in such a manner
2:31 SAAKASHVILI: I have nothing… but my reputation
2:32 SAAKASHVILI: And I’m not going… not going to tolerate some corrupt minister
2:36 SAAKASHVILI: who, the entire country knows he’s a thief
2:38 SAAKASHVILI: the entire country knows…
2:39 POROSHENKO: Vitaliy Vasilievich…
2:40 SAAKASHVILI: The entire country knows what are you doing
2:41 POROSHENKO: Arsen!
2:42 SAAKASHVILI: …knows that are you doing
2:45 SAAKASHVILI: the entire country knows
2:46 AVAKOV: I need to punch him or something?
2:47 POROSHENKO: I’m… I’m adjourning the meeting
2:51 AVAKOV: F4cking faggot!
2:52 POROSHENKO: Arsen… AVAKOV: Damn bastard!
2:55 SAAKASHVILI: Thief!
2:57 AVAKOV: Yes, a thief [irony]
2:58 SAAKASHVILI: So, you will be in a jail, or just because you are…
3:01 AVAKOV: Piss off!
3:02 SAAKASHVILI: We are going to restore the country and you’ll be in a jail
3:04 AVAKOV: You’ve already driven your country to disaster!
3:06 AVAKOV: Get the hell out from my country!
3:07 POROSHENKO: Arsen Borisovich…
3:08 AVAKOV: Rascal!
3:10 SAAKASHVILI: From your country? I’m Ukrainian
3:12 AVAKOV: Right [sarcasm] SAAKASHVILI: For your information…
3:13 AVAKOV: I’m Ukrainian, I’m at home
3:14 SAAKASHVILI: No, you are a thief!
3:15 AVAKOV: And you are a fibster and a traveling actor!
3:16 SAAKASHVILI: You’re a thief! That’s who you are!
3:18 AVAKOV: Actor, clown, damn scum!
3:19 AVAKOV: and then SAAKASHVILI: You’re a thief!
3:22 AVAKOV: Barnstormer! Fibster and barnstormer!
3:24 SAAKASHVILI: You are a thief
3:25 AVAKOV: Sh1thead
3:26 SAAKASHVILI: I was invited to the country to accomplish the tasks
3:29 SAAKASHVILI: not to be engaged in the political fraudulence
3:32 AVAKOV: Damn liar
3:35 SAAKASHVILI: You are insulting the president
3:36 SAAKASHVILI: You are insulting the country
3:38 AVAKOV: Yes SAAKASHVILI: You are insulting the officials
3:41 SAAKASHVILI: You are insulting the Ukrainian people
3:45 SAAKASHVILI: You are insulting the president… the Ukrainian people
3:47 POROSHENKO: Stop it right now
3:48 SAAKASHVILI: You are going to take responsibility for this
3:49 POROSHENKO: Enough!
3:51 POROSHENKO: Everybody is free
The curtain closes to a silent ovation in the Western media and a call for increased funding for this and other exhibitions of democracy by Washington and Brussels.
In the meantime, one of Ukraine’s most powerful oligarchs and former governor of Dnepropetrovski gave an interview to Politico in which he pledged to beat Saakashvili like a dog and called nationalist Batkyvshchina (Fatherland) Party leader and former prime minister Yuliya Tymoshenko a prostitute (www.politico.eu/article/star-wars-in-ukraine-poroshenko-vs-kolomoisky/).
The George Soros Foundation, however, issued a film still wondering: “Will Ukraine Be Europe’s Next Success Story?” (www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVyxuKXgipQ).
Meanwhile in the global Islamist revolutionary movement:
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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Gordon M. Hahn is an Analyst and Advisory Board Member of the Geostrategic Forecasting Corporation, Chicago, Illinois; a Senior Researcher, Center for Terrorism and Intelligence Studies (CETIS), Akribis Group, San Jose, California; a Contributor for Russia Direct, www.russia-direct.org; and an Analyst/Consultant, Russia Other Points of View – Russia Media Watch, http://www.russiaotherpointsofview.com. Dr Hahn is author of three well-received books, Russia’s Revolution From Above (Transaction, 2002), Russia’s Islamic Threat (Yale University Press, 2007), which was named an outstanding title of 2007 by Choice magazine, and The ‘Caucasus Emirate’ Mujahedin: Global Jihadism in Russia’s North Caucasus and Beyond (McFarland Publishers, 2014). He also has authored hundreds of articles in scholarly journals and other publications on Russian, Eurasian and international politics. Dr. Hahn has taught Russian politics and other courses at Boston, American, Stanford, San Jose State, St. Petersburg State (Russia), and San Francisco State Universities as well as the Middlebury Institute for International Studies at Monterey, California. He also has been a Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (2011-2013) and a Visiting Scholar at both the Hoover Institution and the Kennan Institute. His website is http://www.gordonhahn.com.