The reality of Ukraine's revolution; Reform is painfully slow since the hopeful days of the 'Orange Revolution' in 2004 Final Edition

• Published in: Daily mercury (Guelph. 1967)
• Main Author: Uzzell, Lawrence A
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: Guelph, Ont Torstar Syndication Services, a Division of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited 22.08.2007
• Subjects: Yeltsin, Boris
• ISSN: 0841-6834

Ukraine's current performance in economic freedom is declining, as rated in the free-market report published annually by The Wall Street Journal and The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think-tank in Washington. In fact, Ukraine's economy is seen as slightly less free than Russia's. The January report stated, "Ukraine is ranked 40th out of 41 countries in the European region, and its overall score is much lower than the regional average." Paradoxically, post-Soviet Ukraine's sluggishness in reforms is linked in some ways with Ukraine's lack of Russian-style despotism. Many would-be reformers instinctively assume that strong, centralized presidencies are preferable, while legislatures or provincial governors are nuisances. Washington's Beltway mentality likes the domestic policies of leaders such as Lyndon Johnson, producing huge federal programs and detailed regulations. During the 1990s, the Beltway usually found excuses for the "excesses" of Moscow's self-proclaimed "reformer" [Boris Yeltsin]. Washington looked the other way when the Kremlin decided in 1993 to crush the legislature by means of tanks. Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS / Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko answers reporters' questions during a news conference in Kyiv Monday. Yushchenko is calling for fairness in next month's parliamentary elections. Ukraine is moving at a glacial pace in terms of reforms following the 2004 'Orange revolution,' writes [Lawrence A. Uzzell] of International Religious Freedom Watch.