Comments on: The US Should Stop Calling Ukraine’s New Government ‘Legitimate’

By: Bruce E Woych

Bruce E Woych — Wed, 16 Apr 2014 21:59:24 +0000

The “Washington Consensus” apparently creates legitimation when and where they see fit; as does Obama’s reading of the United States Constitution gives Americans their “rights” when and where it fits the governments National Security Agenda he has been shaping. The contours of reality aside, history is a matter of overpowering odds.

By: Andrey

Andrey — Mon, 14 Apr 2014 13:31:39 +0000

Andres, Timoshenko was never a president… Who is wrong now?

By: Andres

Andres — Sun, 06 Apr 2014 00:55:40 +0000

I agree with most of Mr Keenan’s article.

The previous commentators have their facts distorted or plainly wrong.

First, the current Ukranian government is illegal as of the 2004 Ukraninan constitution. As explained by Asier Blas in his excellent Spanish-written work (http://postsovietico.blogspot.ca/2014/03/crisis-ucraniana-y-verguenza.html), article 111 of the 2004 Ukranian constitution wasn’t respected regarding the destitution of the Ukranian president. It consists of a 3 step procedure, which wasn’t respected for Ianukovich. The swift destitution had more to do with threats from the fascist militias that monitored the destitution vote (see picture at the previous article).

Second, Ianukovich was far from being a Russian puppet. For instance, he emprisoned Timoshenko, the corrupt former president (also owner of a gas company) who signed a disadvantaged contract for Ukraine with Russia. In fact, Putin complained when Timoshenko was jailed. Also, Ianukovich sent Ukranian troops to NATO exercises in Lituania, something not very well aligned to Russian interests. The fact that Ianukovich rejected the EU proposal doesn’t make him a Russian subordinate.

Third, even American personnel acknowledged that snippers in Kiev came from the opposition camp. Creating chaos in order to topple a government is as old as humanity. "Agents provocateurs" are excellent tools for both totalitarian regimes to break peaceful demonstrations and insurrected organizations to conspire against democratically elected officials.

Andres

By: Stephen Bandera

Stephen Bandera — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 03:30:37 +0000

Mr. Keenan’s piece contains a number of factual errors:

a) Yanukovych did not sign into law changes that allowed early presidential and parliamentary elections in May
b) The Russians did not buy $15 billion of fragile debt
c) Yanukovych proved to be a Putin proxy, and other errors.
d) 100+ dead from sniper fire and violence but a little bit of dent into Yanukovych’s legitimacy

As for legitimacy, when the president fled, the parliament assumed responsibility for governmental powers and formed the government in accordance with 2004 constitutional compromise that led to a peaceful resolution of the Orange Revolution.

By: PS

PS — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 16:31:34 +0000

Mr. Keenan – you have it wrong. While you may have arguments about Parliament giving executive powers of the Presidnet to its Speaker, you can’t cal the government "illegal". By the Constitution of Ukraine, Parliament can elect the government which was done with constitutional majority on Feb 22.
The Parliament was democratically elected in 2012.

By: E Hines

E Hines — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 15:22:08 +0000

You’re missing a more fundamental law: to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. …when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

That this acknowledgment of a fundamental right appears in our own social compact’s principles statement in no way deprecates the law’s universal applicability. The people of Ukraine acted entirely legally when they forced the removal of a government that did not have their consent to govern them.

Eric Hines