THE MANAGEMENT OF DIVERSITY IN UKRAINE AND SOUTH AFRICA
The current crisis in the Ukraine points to one of the central challenges of the new millennium: the need to ensure the peaceful coexistence of diverse ethnic, religious and linguistic communities within the same country. The failure to address this challenge lies at the heart of virtually all the conflicts that continue to afflict the world.
The situation in the Ukraine is far more complex than the good guy/bad guy analysis that was thrust upon us by the media. 77.5% of the population is ethnic Ukrainian and 17.2% are ethnic Russians. However, many of the ethnic Ukrainians speak Russian as their first language - so the language split is 67% Ukrainian and 30% Russian. The political divide follows the languages spoken. In the 2010 election, the north-western part of the country, which is overwhelmingly Ukrainian-speaking, voted solidly for Yulia Tymoshenko while the Russian-speaking south-east gave equally solid support to her opponent, Viktor Yanukovych. Yanukovych won the election in what was generally regarded as a free and fair poll. Tymoshenko landed in jail.
Issues came to a head in February after Yanukovych rejected an association deal with the EU and opted instead to move closer to the Russians. In the subsequent violent riots, instigated primarily by pro-EU Ukrainian speakers, his government was unconstitutionally overthrown. He was forced to flee to Russia - leaving behind his lavish presidential palace and copious evidence of state corruption.
One of the first acts of the new Ukrainian Parliament was to abolish Russian as a regional language. Although the measure was subsequently vetoed by the acting President, it bore eloquent testimony to the anti-Russian orientation of the revolutionaries. The Russians quickly retaliated by - in effect - invading the Crimea, which was populated overwhelmingly by ethnic Russians, and which included the strategic Russian naval base of Sevastopol.
This led to recriminations by the West and to the imposition of sanctions aimed primarily at Russian leaders. Since then Russia has undoubtedly been supporting a Russian insurrection in south-eastern Ukraine. 1 000 Russian troops are reported to be in the Ukraine and many more are massed along the border. Europe is facing the most serious military confrontation since the end of the Cold War.