Protesters and police clash in Kiev, Ukraine. (GENYA SAVILOV/AFP/Getty Images)
Thousands of protesters have gathered in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, where they are calling for President Viktor Yanukovich to resign after he rejected a deal for closer integration with the European Union. The crisis has to do with Ukraine's geopolitics – will it lean toward Europe or toward Russia? – as well as its troubled transition to democracy. Colleague Kathy Lally has a nice Q-and-A explainer on the protests.
As you read and hear more on Ukraine's protests, though, it can be easy to fall into some misconceptions about what's happening there and what it means. Phil Arena, an assistant professor of political science at SUNY Buffalo, warned against some of the most common misconceptions on Twitter. Here are some his tweets, reproduced and explained with Arena's permission.
Misconception #1: Most Ukrainians oppose the government. Many actually support it.
1. Coverage of events in Ukraine reveals a few persistent pathologies in how world politics is interpreted in US.
— Phil Arena (@filarena) December 2, 2013
2. Tend to equate protestors w/ "the people", assuming policy/gov they oppose has no support. But ~50% of Ukrainians want deal w/ Russia.
— Phil Arena (@filarena) December 2, 2013
Misconception #2: The protests are driven by pro-Western, pro-democracy sentiment. They actually have a lot to do with simple economics and what Ukrainians think will be in their best financial interests.
3. Tend to attribute to heartfelt convictions, attachments to causes/valus/belief systms, that which is strongly driven by material factors.
— Phil Arena (@filarena) December 2, 2013
4. Lots of discussion of Huntington, sentiments re: democracy/West. Russia has threatened sanctions & has power to devastate economy.
— Phil Arena (@filarena) December 2, 2013
5. It ain't always about us.
— Phil Arena (@filarena) December 2, 2013
Misconception #3: It's all about politics, ideology and Ukraine's national identity.
6. Just b/c we in post-scarcity society don't think material concerns *shld* matter doesn't mean they don't. Esp where scarcity still real.
— Phil Arena (@filarena) December 2, 2013
Both blocs of parties appeal to nationalism. Both sensitive to coercion from Russia. Economic might >>> cultural affinity/ethnic solidarity.
— Phil Arena (@filarena) December 2, 2013
Misconception #4: Ukrainian politics are divided between pro-Europe and pro-Russia factions. Arena points to the 2010 conviction of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, a rival of current-president Yanukovich. They're from opposing parties but both made gestures toward cooperation with Moscow.
Let's also remember Tymoshenko was jailed for ostensibly betraying nation by signing gas deal w/ Russia that was too favorable to Russia.
— Phil Arena (@filarena) December 2, 2013
Way, way too easy to read Ukrainian politics as "pro-US orange" vs "pro-Russia Party of Regions". Really ain't that simple.
— Phil Arena (@filarena) December 2, 2013
Of course, none of this is to argue that what's happening is all about simple economic interests or that the protesters are politically insignificant. Ukraine's position between Russia and Europe matters a great deal for the crisis, not least because both Russia and the U.S. are trying to pull the country in their direction. Divisions between Ukrainian political parties over how to deal with that geopolitical tug-of-war are also playing a role. But keep Arena's caveats in mind as you read more about what's happening there.
