Competitive Intelligence

Ukraine's Revolution for Independence

Pro-West opposition candidate Viktor Yuschenko won Ukraine's repeat runoff presidential election and jubilantly claimed victory, saying, "It is fashionable to be a Ukrainian. It's stylish. It's beautiful." Supporters hope his margin will be enough to enact his plan to turn the country away from Russia and toward the West.

The election was observed by a record 12,000 international monitors. One observer group has said the election was marked by peace and order, in contrast to the fraud, intimidation, and abuses of power that marred the previous two elections. Whatever the case, Ukraine has a new motto, as demonstrated New Year's Eve, and described in the Slate piece I read on the New Year's celebrations in Kiev - "Together we are many, we will not be defeated!"

In the 13 years since the Soviet Union collapsed (it officially ceased to exist at the end of Dec. 31, 1991), three of its 15 republics—the Baltic states—have joined the European Union. Two—Turkmenistan and Belarus—quickly restored ruthless dictatorships, while the remaining 10 countries have floated somewhere in between, gradually drifting toward restoring old-style bureaucratic tyrannies. In recent years, Russia has taken giant steps back, cracking down on freedoms inside the country, rejuvenating Soviet-era imperial rhetoric, and increasingly meddling in the affairs of its former satellites. Georgia (though its post-revolutionary year has been fraught with problems) was the first to say no to this pattern, and Ukraine has proved that Georgia doesn't have to be the exception. Now the people who organized both revolutions say they will help their allies in other former Soviet republics do the same. Many name Belarus as the next target.

Dancing in Independence Square last night, my friends and I made a date to celebrate next New Year's in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. When it turned out that the four young people with whom we were jumping around a leafless tree, holding hands and passing around a bottle of champagne, were also from Russia, one of my friends said: "It's going to happen for us, too! In a couple of years!" The young people—they must have been college students—hesitated for a second, probably because this is not the sort of thing one would presume to say to strangers in Moscow, and then shouted, "Hooray!"

Good luck in that, as Russia will not quickly let Ukraine leave its sphere of influence for the waiting arms of the EU and NATO anytime soon. As for the rest of us, best wishes for a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year in 2005!

- Arik

Prayers for Tsunami Survivors

As the world celebrates the arrival of 2005, we remember the 140,000+ dead and millions more left homeless and injured as victims of South Asia's tsunami disaster. We pray for their best wishes, as their struggle has only just begun. My hope is that the governments of the region can put aside their totalitarian politics and allow aid to flow to their citizens, even as the rest of the world unites in a response to this disaster, and we put aside our own differences to help those in need.

I've heard an early warning system could be built for as little as $20 million - and that many assumed a tsunami was on its way, after news of the most powerful quake in 40 years hit the wire. Of course, proximity to Sumatra where most of the disastrous impact was felt, would have made this moot, but Sri Lanka, the Maldives, India and other nations affected might have suffered less severely.

In the face of such inexplicable destruction, I'm reminded of the Biblical story of Herod's slaughter of the innocents, when all children under two years old in the region of Bethlehem were slaughtered as a tyrant searched in vain for a prophesied threat to his kingdom (Matthew 2:16-23):

"A voice was heard in Ramah,

wailing and loud lamentation,

Rachel weeping for her children;

she refused to be consoled,
because they are no more." (Matthew 2:18, NRSV)

The new year will find hundreds of thousands of people struggling to survive in the aftermath - a donation to the relief organization of your choice can make a difference you can see throughout 2005 as the world helps to rebuild the battered coastlines of South Asia. Global Impact lists several and where they're putting their efforts.

Best wishes for a happier New Year ahead - our prayers are with you all.

- Arik