Blue &Yellow: Politics and Economics in Ukraine

A few weeks ago I posted on the Slovakia-Hungary language row, now The Economist has another article that looks at Polish-Ukrainian relations as a model that its neighbors could follow.  Ukraine and Poland have managed to build a solid relationship even though the countries despite a bloody history that included ethnic cleansing. 

That is not just good business for florists. It could be a template for other countries seeking to step over the shadow of history. Neither Poland nor Ukraine tries to rub each other’s nose in its wrongdoing, nor does either insist on seeing their own soldiers as untainted heroes. Neither side expects the other to see history exactly its own way. Much more important is to focus on the common factors: the conflicts between Poles and Ukrainians were made immeasurably worse by the activities of outside powers, Nazis and communists alike. Disagreements remain, but are eased by practical cooperation. The planned Polish-Ukrainian-Baltic military brigade is a good example of this. Only 65 years ago, Ukrainians, Lithuanians and Poles were killing each other.

 Timothy Snyder's book Reconstruction of Nations covers the role of Poland in creating this positive relationship between the two counties, worth the read. The two countries are still planning on joint hosting Euro 2012, as long as Ukraine fulfills its obligations.