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what is going on over in Kiev
Ukraine and what does it mean for you well here to bring us up to speed
explain what happened and what may happen in the future is russian studies
professor Stephen Jones
from Mount Holyoke College thank you so much professor for joining me so
starter for the basic foundation some people special Americans may not be as
familiar with what is going on over the ukraine
talents of with what exactly's happened well ukraine of course used to be part
of the Soviet Union
after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 Ukraine became an independent country
I it is a very complex country
and there's a lot of disagreement between Ukraine's themselves about what
it means to be Ukrainian and what sort of government they want
and what this crisis has revealed as hasbeen these these differences between
ukrainians
exacerbated by a the east-west conflict if you like between rusher on the one
hand
and the EU and United States on the other so the situation we have now is a
very
split country with some of the population looking to Russia as the
savior
and many others in the population looking to the United States as a safe
can you say the position that conflict became exasperated when the president
and defected basically to Russia choosing Russia
over the EU and then like you to the country's kinda split
well as he would six this is Viktor Yanukovich who was the
democratically elected president of Ukraine in 2010 and as he sees it he
made the choice that he was entitled to make
which was to this was in November of last year
to accept $15 billion dollars from Russia to save the ukrainian economy
if he chose Europe this is his few course
then that would be an austerity program probably dominated by
here
and the IMF and other organizations which would made it really tough
for for the ukrainian economy so he made that choice
arm about the win many in
ukraine particularly in Kiev capital of Ukraine who disagreed Han Han argued
that this was
going back to an old relationship %uh russian dominance in Ukraine and they
didn't want that they wanted to be
long to on that's a a more prosperous
western type organization like the European Union why is russia says care
to lose
Ukraine to the EU well there are many many reasons
I its is very important strategically for russia because it's a sort a bath
state if you like between rusher and Germany in the EU
historic to ukraine is always being very close to russia and united with Russia
for many centuries
there are strategic issues in the Black Sea
where crime ear is located where will this is happening right now
they have a major naval ports the past a pole right there
in Crimea in which they very concerned about keeping
arm and they don't want I get another country
ukraine like say the baltic republics
Latvia and Estonia joining the EU and getting closer tonight
that's not what they want and that kinda brings us to
the United States its kind if the United States 182
they get involved it's like a right there goes the US getting involved in
yet another country that
you know they should me keep their nose outta but they don't get involved in
it's kind of like a
your wise in the biggest nation in the world doing something about this
almost like damned if you do damned if you don't so when you do
well you know Obama has to think that in different terms it it's not just about
Ukraine anymore or of course
says the I have the storm it really is about
international law and whether russia is accepting international
international or what the week call it a revisionist 8 is trying to change
the international environment and
and international law this is not the first time that russia has done this
course
very recently in in georgian republic of Georgia in 2008 inundated and
and then de facto sees territories
it's doing the same in Ukraine so this goes beyond ukraine this is
about Russia it's about international
*** more Americans be concerned about this
then maybe they are well I'm an American and i'm concerned.
I
I think that this does set a very dangerous precedent
so if russia can do it in Ukraine where where am I to come next time
there are many former Soviet republics that broke away and
1991 became independent a
who have on Russian its
Russian speakers or ethnic russians in then you states
and putting has said that russia has the right
to protect these russians and intervene on their behalf
that means he has the right to invade almost any country
the time russia's borders because most of those countries
have Russian speakers and Russians living there so this
you know this guarantees instability
in that region and United States has to be concerned about that
what would be the fallout if something what happened or maybe even if something
if we don't do anything in this continues in get its worst what would be
the fallout
for the average American citizen well it all depends on what happens
arm if we have a diplomatic solution and they won't be
much fallout for foreign American citizens
however if it comes to war which is
highly possible on then
it will mean a dramatic
mmm military conflict if you like
in Europe my once again repeat perhaps a focus on yugoslavia
in the 1990s it will mean refugees who mean instability
I it will mean down the road
very difficult relations with Russia
and a and a new Cold War and that on that cannot be good for
Europe and if it's not good for europe it's not good for the United States
it seems almost as if it's really US
versus Russia as opposed to Ukraine Ukraine's may be almost being used as a
ploy
to well again you know it its
ukraine's caught in the middle and it is this order middle place
you know between Europe and Russia I
but you know this is this sort of conflict immediately becomes
internationalize this responsibility or
allstate's that can have influence
question is to they have enough improvements
to bring this to satisfactory conclusion without war
and there's a big question mark there because
as Obama and former US presidents have seen you know he even great powers like
the United States
have limited influence limited capabilities
complex like this well what does have that this point wait and see
what happens professor Stephen Jones from hotmail college thank you
thank you very much