RUSSIAN AND UKRAINE REMIND ME OF AN OLD MARRIED COUPLE WHOSE "RELATIONSHIP" HAS DEGENERATED INTO CONSTANT BICKERING...
EACH THREATENS THE OTHER WITH EVER GREATER OUTRAGES... BUT SOMEHOW NOTHING SERIOUS EVER HAPPENS...
IF THE UKRAINIANS WANT TO GO BACK WITH POLAND...FINE...
THE POLES WOULD LOVE TO HAVE GALACIA BACK...BESIDES THEY CONSIDER IT TO BE POLISH TERRITORY EVEN NOW.
UKRAINE HAS ALMOST NO HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE...IT REALLY NEVER EXISTED AS A "NATION-STATE"...AT LEAST NOT SINCE THE MIDDLE AGES SAY 900 AD-1300 AD...
UKRAINE'S "PROBLEM" WAS THAT IT WAS ALWAYS "WEDGED" BETWEEN MAJOR "IMPERIAL POWERS"...
IMPERIAL RUSSIA TO THE NORTH, IMPERIAL BYZANTIUM TO THE SOUTH, WITH A STRONG MEDIEVEL POLAND AND LATER THE HABSBERG EMPIRE TO THE WEST...
AND OF COURSE THE EVER CONSTANT THREAT OF WILD TATAR RAIDS FROM THE EAST...
THE NATIONALISTS IN THE UKRAINE HAVE A HARD CASE TO MAKE FOR UKRAINE AS A NATION-STATE...
IN THAT SENSE THEY ARE VERY LIKE THE KURDS...A NATIONALITY WITHOUT AN HISTORIC NATION. AN "NON-HISTORIC STATE"...
THEY HAVE THEIR INDEPENDENCE...THE HABSBERGS ARE GONE...POLAND IS NO THREAT...BYSANTIUM AND THE TURKS ARE OUT OF THE PICTURE... NOW THEY ONLY HAVE TO AVOID THE RUSSIAN 'BEAR HUG'...FROM THEIR COUSINS IN THE NORTH.
