How The Crisis In Ukraine Should End

(Wikimedia Commons)

How The Ukraine Crisis Ends -- Henry A. Kissinger, Washington Post

Henry A. Kissinger was secretary of state from 1973 to 1977.

Public discussion on Ukraine is all about confrontation. But do we know where we are going? In my life, I have seen four wars begun with great enthusiasm and public support, all of which we did not know how to end and from three of which we withdrew unilaterally. The test of policy is how it ends, not how it begins.

Far too often the Ukrainian issue is posed as a showdown: whether Ukraine joins the East or the West. But if Ukraine is to survive and thrive, it must not be either side’s outpost against the other — it should function as a bridge between them.

Russia must accept that to try to force Ukraine into a satellite status, and thereby move Russia’s borders again, would doom Moscow to repeat its history of self-fulfilling cycles of reciprocal pressures with Europe and the United States.

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My Comment: I have never been a fan of Henry Kissinger .... but he makes some valid points in his commentary. I disagree with his point #4 .... the majority in Crimea do not want to be a part of Ukraine .... and will no longer accept Ukraine’s sovereignty over them. Russia recognizes this split ... and they have also decided to not respect Ukraine’s sovereignty over Crimea (especially now and especially if Crimea votes in the next 10 days to secede from Ukraine). To put it bluntly .... Russia is not in the mood to abandon fellow Russians on lands that many Russians regard as historically a part of Russia ... this is their red line.

The solution (and diffusion of the crisis) may lie in having the Ukraine government realize these facts on the ground .... and acquiesce by giving Crimea (and other predominantly Russian regions in Ukraine) autonomy status .... the Swiss canton or Canadian provincial system is probably the best ones to follow. I lived in Switzerland for a year .... and I have been living in Quebec, Canada now for 20+ years. Both systems (Canada and Switzerland) have had their ups and downs .... but in the case of Canada much of it's separatist fever has been tempered over the years by granting Quebec considerable powers over language/culture/and identity. This is what the Russians in Ukraine are looking for .... and if presented properly will probably embrace it. They will have the best of both worlds. They will be Ukrainian .... as well as Russian.

But will this happen .... I have my doubts. Ukrainian nationalists in the Ukraine government are not in the mood to compromise .... and the Russians no longer trust them. In the worst case scenario .... a Yugoslav implosion with or without the violence may be the end result.