American duplicity in the Ukraine crisis

Letter April 22, 2014
This time, the US has no right to intervene in Ukraine’s problems.

SHIKARPUR: The US has always played a dubious role in supporting democracy. And Ukraine is yet another example of this. The Crimea referendum has shown that the people of eastern Ukraine are pro-Russia. This time, the US has no right to intervene in Ukraine’s problems. As it has done a few times in the past, the US has apparently interfered in the Middle East uprising and the recent crisis of Syria with a pro-democratic stance, urging that power belonged to people. But in Crimea, the US stance has been the opposite because it has said it won’t respect the local referendum to join Russia.

Pro-Russian activists are still taking over government buildings. Now if the Ukraine government wants to bring peace and stability in the region, it needs to adopt a transparent policy through bilateral relations with Russia. Misunderstandings should be resolved amicably. They ought to know that fostering good relations is a priority since both Crimea and Ukraine have a shared history. They should both keep in mind that the US must be sidelined if the two countries need to implement a long-term strategic policy, with a spirit if friendliness, in their region.

Arsalan Thahim

Published in The Express Tribune, April 23rd, 2014.

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