Ukraine (closed; covers till August 2014)

[Beelzebubalicious]

And to make matters worse, the Ukrainian military is buying Geely-brand cars from China because they are "economic and mobile" but also the "kitting-up, equipped with special sound and light signals". Hmmm....in the crash test world, it's called the "death vessel". The automobiles are being made in the Kremenchuk Automobile Assembly Plant (KrAAP). Says it all

[Stan]

And to make matters worse, the Ukrainian military is buying Geely-brand cars from China because they are "economic and mobile" but also the "kitting-up, equipped with special sound and light signals". Hmmm....in the crash test world, it's called the "death vessel". The automobiles are being made in the Kremenchuk Automobile Assembly Plant (KrAAP). Says it all

Interesting, Estonians are driving their old USA and European cars to Odessa via Moldova, selling them at some flea market, and taking the train back after a weekend on the Black Sea.

Other than the descriptions of life on the beaches , I can think of little reason to even go to The Ukraine.

You should'a never left... Look what happened

[davidbfpo]

Other than the descriptions of life on the beaches , I can think of little reason to even go to The Ukraine.

I would differ. I've had two excellent holidays there, once in Western Ukraine, centred on Lviv / Lvov (an old Polish city, with pre-1914 architecture) and then the Crimea - where Sevastapol is all new build since WW2. Loads of history, much of it grim alas; friendly people and good food in privately owned places. Yes, the lack of hot water in a hotel can happen.

davidbfpo

[Beelzebubalicious]

Stan had the unfortunate luck to visit Ukraine in the 90s when things were a bit hairier and a little less friendly. I tried to get him to come visit when I was there, even tried to entice him with the opportunity to blow things up, but he held his ground. Then again, if you're going to take a vacation, I wouldn't go to Ukraine, either. In fact, when I had the chance, I left Ukraine. It has a lot to offer, as you mentioned Mr. bfpo, but for the cost and hassle, there are a lot of other better choices.

[Jedburgh]

EDM, 8 Sep 08: Crisis in Ukraine

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko is ready to call an early parliamentary election as his party, Our Ukraine – People’s Self-Defense (NUNS), withdrew from a coalition with Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s Bloc (BYT). According to Ukrainian laws, NUNS has time until September 13 to change its mind; otherwise, either a new coalition will emerge or Ukraine will see a third parliamentary poll in four years. Russia, self-confident after the events in Georgia, may play some role also in Ukraine as both Tymoshenko and her possible ally in a new coalition, Party of Regions (PRU) leader Viktor Yanukovych, have apparently been seeking Moscow’s support.

The crisis in Ukraine has both domestic and international roots. On the one hand, both Yanukovych and Tymoshenko rejected Yushchenko’s condemnation of Russian behavior in Georgia. This prompted Yushchenko to accuse them of betraying the country’s national interests. On the other hand, rivalry between Yushchenko, who wants to run for a second term in 2010 but is weakened by constitutional reform and low popularity, and Tymoshenko, who views her tenure as prime minister as a springboard to presidency, has reached its climax.....

[jmm99]

but ...my last accusation is bigger than your prior accusation - and I have the prosecutor's ear.

Then:

Ukraine's PM accuses president of self-interest
REUTERS
Reuters North American News Service
Sep 06, 2008 09:05 EST
KIEV, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko accused President Viktor Yushchenko on Saturday of putting his political ambitions before the national interest, adding to the bad blood between the former allies. .....

http://wiredispatch.com/news/?id=332954

and two days later:

Ukraine president Viktor Yushchenko accuses PM Yulia Tymoshenko of treason
Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko has accused Yulia Tymoshenko, the Prime Minister, of high treason amid a bitter political struggle over whether the country's future lies with the West or with Russia.
By Bruno Waterfield in Brussels
Last Updated: 8:06PM BST 08 Sep 2008
Miss Tymoshenko has revealed that she has been summoned by prosecutors to answer the president's charge of treason as Ukraine's two rulers battle it out for power ahead of a 2010 presidential vote over their country's future direction. ....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...f-treason.html

May have to reference my old Soviet law books on the conduct of "state trials".

[jmm99]

Here is one view of US policy and the Ukraine. Draw your own conclusions.

No Dog in This Fight
by Doug Bandow
09.09.2008
Washington has become an ugly place. Eight years of bitter Republican attacks on Bill and Hillary Clinton have been followed by eight years of bitter Democratic attacks on George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. But this venom cannot compare to the tidal wave of political hatred that has recently overwhelmed Ukraine’s capital of Kiev.....
....
Doug Bandow is the Robert A. Taft Fellow at the American Conservative Defense Alliance. He is a former Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan and the author of several books, including Foreign Follies: America’s New Global Empire (Xulon).

http://www.nationalinterest.org/Article.aspx?id=19810

See also DB's wiki bio

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Bandow

[Ron Humphrey]

but ...my last accusation is bigger than your prior accusation - and I have the prosecutor's ear.

Then:



http://wiredispatch.com/news/?id=332954

and two days later:



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...f-treason.html

May have to reference my old Soviet law books on the conduct of "state trials".

One would imagine there would be two different types of legal precedence under which the PM could be tried that which would have existed under Soviet rule or a western type approach

Wonder which one PM would prefer?

Conundrums,conundrums