THE WEST’S MORAL IMPERATIVE OR IS IT OK TO BE SELFISH

          The Ukraine-Russia gas row can be summarized as follows: one third of Ukraine’s natural gas supply comes from Russia. In the cold of winter 2005-06, Russia insisted on quadrupling the price of its gas delivery to Ukraine. Ukraine declined. Russia then cut off its supply resulting in energy shortage in Ukraine and collateral issues dealing with Russian gas transit to Europe through Ukrainian territory. Western Europe responded with extreme indignation. Russia apparently blinked, restoring most of the withheld gas to accommodate the West. However, simultaneously, Russia cut off Ukraine’s supply of natural gas from Turkmenistan.

          Much commentary condemned Russia for attempting to influence political issues in Ukraine with this crisis or at the very least to punish Ukraine for electing the wrong candidate during the last Presidential elections and suggesting that amends may be made in the March Parliamentary elections. Interestingly enough, President Putin’s proposed compromise of a three-month grace period before the price increase would take effect, appears to coincide with the new election timetable. Additionally, Russia was criticized for reneging on its European Energy Charter obligations. Suffice it to say that this dispute affected not only Ukraine and Russia, but also countries in Western Europe and in fact the industrial world inasmuch as Russia contemporaneously assumed the chair of the Group of 8.

          Ukraine’s subjugation to Russia has lasted over three hundred years. Without exaggeration no single nation on earth has suffered more at the hands of its neighbor. Despite this, the United States of America and other leading political and industrial nations have lumped Ukraine with Russia for years in every imaginable equation, including nuclear disarmament, entry to the World Trade Organization and NATO, etc. Presidents have visited Ukraine routinely only on the way to or from Moscow. Accommodations have been made on behalf of Russia bordering on the ridiculous with Russia’s chairmanship of the G-8 an egregious example. Russia has taken advantage in each instance.

        This crisis becomes still another test for the West. Our hope is that this lesson in Russian bullying is not lost on Western Europe and the United States. Russia blinked, the crisis for Western Europe has been averted seemingly but it remains very real for Ukraine, in particular with the Turkmen cutoff, which does not affect the West directly. Will the Western position revert to business as usual?  Russia should not be isolated. Nor should it be pandered to. The problem with bullies is that they do not back down unless they are stood up to. If Russia wishes to be a player in the civilized world community, it needs to act appropriately. Civility, not to mention international accords, mandates respecting Ukraine’s independence. The question for the moment and perhaps the next generation is whether Western indignation is morally principled or simply selfish.