Building a New Ukraine

According to a recent report by the "Wall Street Journal", the war in eastern Ukraine has damaged the national economy.

Regardless of the final outcome of this war, its cost in blood and treasure is high. Thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians will have permanent mental and physical scars. The money that Kiev spent on the war will not be available for improving the economic infrastructure.

In order for Ukraine to prosper after the war, the following actions must occur.

The Ukrainian people must vote pro-Western politicians into the Rada, the national parliament, because only it has the political power to set the direction of the country. Unless Kiev implements Western economic and political policies, any aid from the West will be squandered.

Concomitant with this expression of commitment for Westernizing Ukraine, the European Union under the leadership of Berlin must provide financial and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine. That assistance would include (1) immediately building temporary shelters for all the internally displaced people, (2) providing ready-to-eat meals for them, etc. We Westerners must show the awesome power of Western compassion to the Ukrainians -- especially, the pro-Russians Ukrainians.

Tokyo, which is usually a laggard in promoting Westernization, can help to boost the Ukrainian economy by providing financial incentives to Japanese companies to establish factories in eastern Ukraine. As a manufacturing base, it can serve as an alternative to China, in which anti-Japanese sentiment is rife. Further, after Kiev bans all military exports to Russia, the workers who become unemployed can find employment at these new Japanese factories.

The nations of the West must help to bring Ukraine into the Western fold, for we are stronger with her than we are without her.