More on "pro-Western"
Nathaniel pointed me to a pair of articles by his friend in the Ukraine, a supporter of Yushchenko. Part 1 (about Yushchenko) and Part 2 (about Yanukovych) discuss the "pro-Western" and "pro-Russian" ideas in terms of economics, political ties, and language issues.
Also, some U.S. conservatives, supporters of Yanukovych, are saying that "pro-Western" means "pro-European" and not "pro-United States". (Among other things, they say that Yushchenko wants closer ties with European Union, not with the United States, and wants to reverse Ukraine's policy of sending troops to Iraq.)
Everyone seems to agree that Russia has actively favored Yanukovych, but that doesn't seem to be enough by itself to merit the term "pro-Russian"! Similarly, the U.S. government has favored Yushchenko, but that doesn't seem to be enough to call him "pro-Western". An immediate question might be why the Russian and U.S. governments favor any particular candidate in the Ukrainian election, and what led them to favor different candidates. It isn't that this question is impossible to answer, it's just that I haven't seen any press reports that have analyzed it. Clearly Russia would like to support people who are "pro-Russian", for example, but that's a little circular.
I really wish the press could be clearer about this. I found several other references to politicians who were called "pro-Western", but what does that mean? Supporting Enlightenment values? Entering lots of bilateral treaties with the United States? Speaking Romance languages? Trading with European countries? Doing whatever the U.S. administration asks? Running a public relations campaign about the virtues of Americans? Being secular? Being Christian? Having a lot of friends in New York City or London? Joining the E.U.? Protecting human rights? Admiring the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Enlightenment, or some particular periods or event in European history? Loving cowboy movies?
