July 24, 2015

Ukraine for me, but not for thee?

More

During a recent conversation with a Western journalist, I was asked to voice a few concerns held by many in the U.S. diaspora. After discussing some items which seem to puzzle non-Ukrainians – such as the importance of moving ahead with de-communization – I hit upon a frustration which resonated with this reporter. It relates to a simple premise to which I adhere when talking up Ukraine: simply put, there is no greater advocate for Ukraine than Ukraine itself.

Over the past two years, we have witnessed delegation after delegation of members of the U.S. Congress and Senate head off to Ukraine, and each has returned with an incredible zeal to help Ukraine. Vice-President Joe Biden has also visited Ukraine, not once but several times, and you will not find a more passionate supporter of Ukraine in our executive branch of government. This leads me to our concern here in the U.S. diaspora: our president, for whom many Ukrainian Americans voted not once but twice, has steadfastly refused to visit Ukraine while in office.

For over six years, we have seen him travel to Europe numerous times, including giving public speeches in the Baltic nation of Estonia, as well as neighboring Poland. Every time such a trip would take place, I would get the same reaction from Ukrainians here in the U.S. – why won’t President Barack Obama visit our people’s homeland?

After strongly advocating for a presidential visit to Ukraine for the past two years, Americans have now transitioned to a different stage of politics, where we not only have a sitting president to invite to Ukraine, but over 20 legitimate presidential contenders, many of whom have yet to visit Ukraine since the Revolution of Dignity began in November 2013.

Now, when I began my earlier conversation with this journalist, he not only considered President Obama’s absence to be a valid criticism, but gave more importance to my further proposal: there is no better way for potential U.S. presidents to understand the geopolitical reality of how Russia intends to act in the coming years than for the candidates to go and visit Ukraine.

For the presidential campaigners, this presents a logistical challenge once the caucuses and primaries begin in January 2016. At that point, the focus turns to domestic get-out-the-vote (GOTV) efforts and fund-raisers to keep the campaigns going. However, between now and January 2016 we have five months of potential visiting time for these candidates.

Are you a current or former U.S. senator attempting to distinguish yourself from your colleagues where foreign policy is concerned? Well, Sens. Clinton, Cruz, Paul, Rubio, Sanders, Santorum and Webb, there happens to be an ongoing European land war in a country that is safe enough to visit since over 90 percent of it is unoccupied by foreign invaders, and where a visit is not much farther than a dozen other European capitals.

Are you a current or former governor with a record of domestic accomplishments looking to be seen as a future commander-in-chief? Well, Govs. Bush, Chafee, Christie, Gilmore, Huckabee, Jindal, Kasich, O’Malley, Pataki, Perry and Walker, there are currently U.S. troops in Ukraine training the National Guard that deserve a friendly visit.

Are you a political outsider needing to prove that you know the world? Well, Mr. Trump, Dr. Carson and Ms. Fiorina, how about being the first presidential candidate to visit a liberated city in eastern Ukraine, or the wreckage of MH17?

If there is one foreign destination that deserves to be visited by U.S. politicians this year, it is undoubtedly Ukraine. I don’t imagine any candidate traveling to the frontlines of the fight with ISIS in Syria this fall. No early winter excursions to the South China Sea make any sense to me. Delivering a speech in Germany to a crowd of thousands? It’s already been done by Presidents John F. Kennedy and Obama.

Are these self-aggrandizing reasons to visit Ukraine? Possibly. But don’t forget my earlier point: there is no greater advocate for Ukraine than Ukraine itself. No matter what reason a U.S. presidential candidate chooses to visit Kyiv, Ukraine is already a potential winner once that candidate lands on Ukrainian soil.

As the candidates hit the campaign trail and begin their presidential debates, let us see who will be the first candidate to take the bold step of visiting the largest nation in Europe, a U.S. military ally and the frontline of Democracy today. Let us encourage such boldness by writing the candidates and contacting their campaigns. And let’s give Ukraine the opportunity to sell itself in person – an opportunity that hasn’t yet failed to charm a visiting politician.

Comments are closed.