Why so much Ukraine on HN? Protests are happening almost everyday in some european country. No Thailand protests covered here. Why the hysteria about Ukraine here?
They're all equally off-topic as per the guidelines.
About Ukraine
31–40 of 97 posts
Re: About Ukraine
#32>8. Why haven't the U.S. or Europe fixed this? Seriously?
Yes seriously. The US and EU are the reason why Russia sees the need to defends its western borders. This conflict is as much about internal politics in Ukraine as it is about geopolitical failures.
If the EU members would cling less to the US (instead of letting them build a rocket shield in Poland), Russia would possibly have fewer reasons to keep a pro-Russian buffer zone.
Re: About Ukraine
#33Here is an ELI5 version of what's going on in Ukraine: Ukraine doesn't have any money, it needs to borrow it. It can ask the west, but the west gives back a list of conditions to be satisfied (human rights, economical, etc) that are incredibly hard for the governmnet to achieve given deeply rooted corruption on all levels. There is another source for the money: Russia (which, despite some westerners' beliefs, is a ve…
sorry, what about policy brutality? kidnappings? tortures? murders? corruption? hiring of thugs? beating of journalists? Dmytro Bulatov was found with a part of his year cut off, cheek slashed and crucified by ukrainian police. The Cossak that was undressed? This isnt just an economic protest, dont reduce to such. Those tendencies finished a long time ago, it has now turned into something completely different.
Of course not. In fact the police brutality towards a few peaceful student protesters was what triggered the mass protests in Kiev and all over Ukraine, it wasn't about any particular agreement as many people wrongly believe. I'm just talking about the Russia vs the West politics in Ukraine.
Re: About Ukraine
#34Why is dividing the country peacefully apparently out of question? It seems to have worked somewhat decently for the Czech and Slovac republics.
I think it is because there aren't two distinct nationalities in play here. Even the Russian-speaking Ukrainians do not want to rejoin Russia; they would prefer to be Ukrainian. The situation is much closer to the situation in the United States than to those in other central and eastern European cold war countries. While there are strong regional divisions between Democrats and Republicans -- divisions that are roote…
I believe that Crimea (peninsula in Black Sea) wouldn't mind to go back to Russia since it has never been historically a Ukrainian territory. East of Ukraine may not be keen on becoming Russian, but sure as hell they don't want to be ruled by Western Ukraine. Differences between East and West of Ukraine run deep and go far beyond political preferences. West sees East as scum. Period. For example, when Western protestors in Kiev catch youths from the East (they call them 'titushki', or provocateurs), protesters write the word 'SLAVE' on easterners' foreheads with permanent marker: http://icdn.lenta.ru/images/2014/01/27/13/20140127131837914/.... I don't think East and West in Ukraine have any future together.
Re: About Ukraine
#35Earlier quoted context omitted.
I guess you refer to "1. What is Ukraine? Ukraine – not "the Ukraine." Whoever got stuck there will miss the rest of the article which is quite good. If you actually got stuck there, please avoid claiming what others are. Disclaimer: not an American.
Yes, I mostly refer to that first question. I did not get stuck there. I believe you misunderstood my post. I do not claim Americans are ignorant — I was asking a question anyway, so not claiming anything. I believe that, by publishing such a basic article, The Washington Post is claiming Americans are ignorant. I am trying to understand that particular phenomenon: why would a respectable newspaper, made for educated…
It is one of the maxims of US media.
"No one in this world, so far as I know — and I have researched the records for years, and employed agents to help me — has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby."
H. L. Mencken, "Notes on Journalism"
Personally, I think that this rule being taken seriously has done more damage for US culture than just about anything else.
Re: About Ukraine
#36Why is dividing the country peacefully apparently out of question? It seems to have worked somewhat decently for the Czech and Slovac republics.
Czechs and Slovaks are two distinct "tribes". The fact that they existed together as one nation in the first place was somewhat arbitrary.
That said, the fact that they were split again into two nations was somewhat arbitrary as well, not everyone was in favor of that, not by a long shot.
Re: About Ukraine
#37>8. Why haven't the U.S. or Europe fixed this? Seriously?
Obama's administration has been getting hammered for getting involved in these types of conflicts. Not sure he wants to stretch the US resources any further and is already hesitant to involve US military resources.See Egypt as exhibit A.
Also, it's pretty frustrating when you see countries crying for help, then when we finally send in military and financial aid, they're called "occupiers" and told to leave the country and stay out of their affairs.
I'm of the opinion these places need to figure it out themselves. The US shouldn't be in the position of being a global police force and jumping in every time something breaks out somewhere.
Re: About Ukraine
#38Why so much Ukraine on HN? Protests are happening almost everyday in some european country. No Thailand protests covered here. Why the hysteria about Ukraine here?
From what i can see here - there is a lot of hackers among protesters. They do they day work and go throwing rocks in the police afterwards.
Re: About Ukraine
#39'(Other scholars, though, believe it means "homeland.")'
krai means "country", not homeland
etymologically speaking, all of these words come from kroiti "to cut" - okraina is literally "the edge resulting from a cut, border"
while kraina is literally "cut out piece, area, country"
Re: About Ukraine
#40Here is an ELI5 version of what's going on in Ukraine: Ukraine doesn't have any money, it needs to borrow it. It can ask the west, but the west gives back a list of conditions to be satisfied (human rights, economical, etc) that are incredibly hard for the governmnet to achieve given deeply rooted corruption on all levels. There is another source for the money: Russia (which, despite some westerners' beliefs, is a ve…
> Ukraine doesn't have any money, it needs to borrow it.
Most of the places where something like that's said, it's disingenious. Are people there starving? (From the news, it does not look like so.) If they are not, they have no such need to borrow.
Of course, even if they don't need it, it might actualy be a godd idea to borrow some money. But looks like the people don't think it is.