Looking at the spreading protests and violence in Ukraine over the Yanukovych government’s decision to strengthen its ties with Russia at the expense of its relationship with the EU, there are two dynamics in play. On the one hand, the Ukrainian government failed to adequately address the interests of a critical mass of Ukrainians, thus public outcry was expected. When they then attempted to suppress that outcry instead of reaching out and addressing the concerns of protestors, the government guaranteed escalation. On the other hand, this out-of-control crisis could have been avoided. The Arab Spring protestors have had the positive influence of encouraging people to hold their governments accountable. Unfortunately, this atmosphere has also lead to a hypersensitivity on behalf of governments when it comes to cracking down on protestors. Instead of governments reaching out to protestors with solutions that avoid and resolve conflicts, their impulse seems to be far more combative while protestors probably do need to be more measured in their responses. In the end, governments must properly balance the interests of all citizens; a failure to do so will only lead to greater instability and violence. What the Yanukovych government must do to resolve the current chaos is to directly address the issues protestors have with Russia and its influence over Ukrainian policy.
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April 2020
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