Wolfgang Sporrer is former head of the Human Dimension Department of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine.
"There were three main reasons for the failure of the Minsk agreements. First, the Minsk agreements did not address the root cause of the conflict. It was stipulated, so to speak, that there was or had been some kind of ethnic conflict between Russians and Ukrainians in Ukraine, and that this was the reason for the outbreak of violence. And by settling this alleged ethnic conflict, the conflict could be pacified.
This was pure fiction. The ethnic conflicts that existed in Ukraine were no more serious than ethnic tensions in many other countries.
Moreover, the dividing lines in this conflict, if one insists on understanding them in ethnic terms, are incredibly blurred. This is not about the Russian versus the Ukrainian language or Ukrainian versus Russian national identity. Nor is it about religion, not even in the slightest. At most, one could find something like an eastern Ukrainian Donbas identity. But this regional identity of the Donbas is not much stronger than strong regional identities in other countries.
What this conflict is fundamentally about is Russia wanting to exert influence over the domestic and foreign policy orientation of the government in Kyiv. In the Minsk agreement, however, this fiction of an ethnic conflict was constructed instead, although Russia actually had no particular interest in obtaining any autonomy rights for eastern Ukraine, for Russian-speaking or ethnically Russian Ukrainian citizens.
A Ukraine that is neutral between Russia and the West is no longer a realistic option, simply because this would no longer be accepted by a large majority of the population in Ukraine. Russia was not really interested in these issues, but Ukraine was not at all eager to grant such rights either, for fear of a supposed fifth column. However, Moscow was not only concerned with what was happening in the Donbas, but above all with what was happening in Kyiv. The Ukraine conflict is about the orientation of Ukraine, pure and simple. But the Minsk agreement addresses completely different issues. That’s why the process didn’t work.
The second reason for their failure was the low technical quality of the Minsk agreements. There were far too many provisions for their verification, and the sequencing of various measures also remained controversial to the end, as the agreement itself didn’t specify any.
The third reason for the failure — and this may sound banal now, but it is true — is that it has not been possible to meet in person since the end of 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As little as the Minsk agreements were actually implemented in practice, they did help to build trust.
The very fact that the parties were sitting around a table had a de-escalating effect. You don’t get the same sort of benefit online. For that, you need coffee breaks, shared meals, unofficial contacts and the like. If you lose the seemingly ancillary aspects of diplomatic talks, such a process is doomed to failure. With the Minsk process, therefore, an early-warning instrument pointing to a possible escalation of the conflict was also lost."
I mean, we could tell you a thousand times that Shokin was forced to resign because he WASN'T investigating corruption in Ukraine, and you'll still believe the crap in that Real Clear Investigations article.
Just cancelled waste mgmt; signed up w/ Waste Inds. at less than half price for same service. If we want to return to wm their rate will be more than double WI’s. New service starts May 2.
It's the same old stuff. It ignores the fact that Ukraine wasn't in NATO, and Russia invaded instead of negotiating.
"Ukraine might join NATO to attack Russia" is the same kind of threat as "Saddam might get WMDs". Putin and Bush launched pre-emptive wars with the goal of regime change. Supporting Putin's rationale is the same as supporting Bush's excuses for invading Iraq.
You focus on the 5% of Democratic voters who cast a write-in and ignore the fact that 16% of GOP voters cast a ballot for someone who dropped out of the race weeks ago.
Popular Comments
KarenMarlowe
I have failed miserably in the last week or so, but just got QB! Congrats, jim, as usual.
Like 3 LikesDaveSchmidt
Votes for Biden: 926,633
Votes for Trump: 788,833
Democratic votes not Biden: 123,921
Republican votes not Trump: 163,748
Were you trying to tell us something?
Like 3 Likestjohn
Diplomat: Why the Minsk Agreements Failed in Ukraine (jacobin.com)
Wolfgang Sporrer is former head of the Human Dimension Department of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine.
"There were three main reasons for the failure of the Minsk agreements. First, the Minsk agreements did not address the root cause of the conflict. It was stipulated, so to speak, that there was or had been some kind of ethnic conflict between Russians and Ukrainians in Ukraine, and that this was the reason for the outbreak of violence. And by settling this alleged ethnic conflict, the conflict could be pacified.
This was pure fiction. The ethnic conflicts that existed in Ukraine were no more serious than ethnic tensions in many other countries.
Moreover, the dividing lines in this conflict, if one insists on understanding them in ethnic terms, are incredibly blurred. This is not about the Russian versus the Ukrainian language or Ukrainian versus Russian national identity. Nor is it about religion, not even in the slightest. At most, one could find something like an eastern Ukrainian Donbas identity. But this regional identity of the Donbas is not much stronger than strong regional identities in other countries.
What this conflict is fundamentally about is Russia wanting to exert influence over the domestic and foreign policy orientation of the government in Kyiv. In the Minsk agreement, however, this fiction of an ethnic conflict was constructed instead, although Russia actually had no particular interest in obtaining any autonomy rights for eastern Ukraine, for Russian-speaking or ethnically Russian Ukrainian citizens.
A Ukraine that is neutral between Russia and the West is no longer a realistic option, simply because this would no longer be accepted by a large majority of the population in Ukraine.
Russia was not really interested in these issues, but Ukraine was not at all eager to grant such rights either, for fear of a supposed fifth column. However, Moscow was not only concerned with what was happening in the Donbas, but above all with what was happening in Kyiv. The Ukraine conflict is about the orientation of Ukraine, pure and simple. But the Minsk agreement addresses completely different issues. That’s why the process didn’t work.
The second reason for their failure was the low technical quality of the Minsk agreements. There were far too many provisions for their verification, and the sequencing of various measures also remained controversial to the end, as the agreement itself didn’t specify any.
Like 3 LikesThe third reason for the failure — and this may sound banal now, but it is true — is that it has not been possible to meet in person since the end of 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As little as the Minsk agreements were actually implemented in practice, they did help to build trust.
The very fact that the parties were sitting around a table had a de-escalating effect. You don’t get the same sort of benefit online. For that, you need coffee breaks, shared meals, unofficial contacts and the like. If you lose the seemingly ancillary aspects of diplomatic talks, such a process is doomed to failure. With the Minsk process, therefore, an early-warning instrument pointing to a possible escalation of the conflict was also lost."
Morganna
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jamie
You can find the info here:
https://www.maplewoodnj.gov/government/public-works/spring-rake-out
Materials to be picked up are limited to branches, leaves, and garden rakings when packaged as follows:
Containers will be left behind if unapproved materials are found in them, or if they cannot be lifted by one person.
ridski
I mean, we could tell you a thousand times that Shokin was forced to resign because he WASN'T investigating corruption in Ukraine, and you'll still believe the crap in that Real Clear Investigations article.
Like 2 LikesJaytee
I’ll ask Jamie to be the first, then he can come back and give us the information. He’s already on trumps email list so they won’t suspect a thing…..
Like 2 LikesApollo_T
Our final follow-up…for now at least-
Just cancelled waste mgmt; signed up w/ Waste Inds. at less than half price for same service. If we want to return to wm their rate will be more than double WI’s. New service starts May 2.
Like 2 Likesnohero
It's the same old stuff. It ignores the fact that Ukraine wasn't in NATO, and Russia invaded instead of negotiating.
"Ukraine might join NATO to attack Russia" is the same kind of threat as "Saddam might get WMDs". Putin and Bush launched pre-emptive wars with the goal of regime change. Supporting Putin's rationale is the same as supporting Bush's excuses for invading Iraq.
Like 2 Likesml1
you're funny.
You focus on the 5% of Democratic voters who cast a write-in and ignore the fact that 16% of GOP voters cast a ballot for someone who dropped out of the race weeks ago.
:))
Like 2 Likes