The attention of our country to the victory of Donald Trump is so high that it looks like the president was elected in Ukraine. This top subject absorbed the whole informational space and drew the attention of Ukrainians away from far more urgent problems.
The concern of the critics of Trump among our authorities is clear for me. The talks in the vein of “the west is with us” are interpreted much worse every day. By the affronts to Trump, by the “stock book” pressure on the chairman of his election campaign Paul Manafort, the part of our ruling elite finally took one of the parties of the election race and lost as a result.
Nevertheless, I see positive points in everything that happened. “Ukrainian question” is obviously not the priority for the new US President. Admitting this, it is time to say goodbye to the ‘foreign countries will help us’ myth and chose the ‘no one except us’ policy.
In America, the presidential candidates formulate their pre-election promises based on the interests of their country and their people. Trump and the republicans, who won during the Congress and Senate elections, ‘bought’ the voters by promising to create millions of work places and to reduce taxes. This means the creation of the conditions for self-fulfilment of citizens and the incentives for entrepreneurship.
In Ukraine, it is customary to promise voters a “fish” instead of “fishing rod.” The authorities are trying to keep at least some support of the society speaking about subsidies and minimum wages. At the same time, no word is said about the creation of work places, about the priority of science and education. The authorities focus the citizens only on the mechanisms of survival here and now, but not on the strategy of the country’s development.
They frighten us with the fact that Trump’s administration will support “democratic reforms” in Ukraine less. But, did someone feel the “support” of the previous administration during the last three years? Maybe, someone noticed these “democratic reforms?” Only the narrow circle of persons drawing American grants should become alerted.
We should not forget the example of Georgia as well. After demonstrating the interest in this country, the USA never managed to breathe new life into it and make it a serious player and partner. It is very important for Ukraine to understand that America will not allocate investment support to our country forever. We see the same even by the example of Israel, which is the priority partner of the USA.
Of course, the relations between Ukraine and America will differ. The administration of Trump will be pragmatic. It will be impossible to deceive it with the illusion of reforms and anti-corruption efforts in words. The degree of democratization of our society and the focus of Ukrainian citizens on personal participation in economic changes will be the indicator.
Perhaps, the USA’s significant loss of interest in Ukraine will change the “colonial mentality” of our elite.
We often overestimate the real meaning of partnership, including with America, for Ukrainian economy. Analyzing the geographic structure of our external trade, we see that USA is our partner, which is in the end of the list of the first thirty partners. China, India, Egypt, Turkey, Russia, Poland: the meaning of the cooperation with these countries is much higher. As for the number of direct investments into our economy, the USA is also outside the list of the first ten countries.
Of course, it is foolish to deny the role of the USA in the international politics. But it is foolish as well to carry on our own policy according to the directions of Washington. Only the state interests of Ukraine must be the criterion and measure of our policy.
It is the only one way to protect our sovereignty and our personality in the international arena. A “colonial mentality,” our historical habit to live depending on someone else – Moscow, Warsaw, Washington – must become a thing of the past forever.
And it is not so important what is the name of the new US President. But if Donald Trump chooses indifference to our problems and this helps Ukrainians to change political thinking, he will make more for Ukraine than any of his predecessors.
