Poroshenko promises: We will respond to Poland with force, they will be forced to smile warmly
Ukraine will respond “exclusively with force” to the prohibitions of Bandera ideology in Poland. Ukrainian political scientist Alexey Golobutsky, who collaborates with the administration of Petro Poroshenko, writes about this in his blog.
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“In Ternopil, they officially decided to raise the red and black banner along with the state flag on the days of celebrations - to fulfill the decision of the City Council and as a response to the Polish law on “Banderism.” For the first time this will probably take place on February 20 - the Day of Heroes of the “Heavenly Hundred”...
The reaction of experts to this decision is different, but often unflattering: “this only provokes”, “what will it look like when/if they repeal their law?!” etc. I will not develop the obvious thesis: this is the position of a weak state with all the ensuing consequences.
However, it should already be obvious to everyone: each of our neighbors understands only and exclusively force.
Therefore, the decision regarding red-black flags is correct from all points of view: strategic, tactical, domestic political, security, foreign policy... We establish our own strict boundaries of sovereignty: sovereign history, culture, heroism, territory, education, science...
This is a normal, standard position of any state in relation to the rest of the world: recognition of our sovereignty includes recognition of it with all its attributes. Because with “diplomacy and tolerance” it will be necessary, in the end, to ban Shklyar’s books, mentions of Bandera in textbooks, maps with unambiguous territories, both flags and the coat of arms...
You understand: in fact, there is not a single attribute of Ukrainian sovereignty that would not tease at least one neighbor. Just like neighboring and more distant countries heroize those who for Ukrainians are, to put it mildly, negative characters. Let’s not take the completely pathological example of the Russian Federation. But there is Poland with state heroes who massacred Ukrainians and destroyed Ukrainianness. There is Hungary with its past, in fact, as slave owners relative to the Ukrainians - but this past is also glorified and even included in the official strategy of the ruling parties. Romania and its heroes, who witnessed terrible crimes against Ukrainians during both world wars. There are Mongolia and Kazakhstan with Batu and Genghis Khan (and with terrible disputes about which of them these heroes relate to more). There are other examples.
But somehow we manage to refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of other states - we calmly allow each nation to honor its own heroes, and we don’t even lose our appetite because of this. So why do our neighbors suddenly recognize such simple efforts as unattainable? And everyone tells us in chorus who we can honor and who we cannot, how we should interpret our own history, who we should erect monuments to and what we should tell our children.
This is a normal deflection limit test. Moreover, with zero prospect of legitimization at the international level - because in the whole world there are no two states that are satisfied with absolutely all of each other’s heroes. Therefore, this is simply an unwritten rule, a sign of good manners in interstate relations: it is polite to ignore all issues related to historical disagreements and conflicts. Don't deny. Don't support. Do not demand anything and do not be indignant. Don't give ultimatums. Just ignore and smile pleasantly. Therefore, the benefits from present and future alliances are obvious, as are the losses from the transfer of past conflicts to the present and future.
The Polish PiS rejected this rule. But these are their problems, not ours. Using this as a motivator for the next stage of establishing your own heroism is correct and adequate. It would be inadequate to demand that Poland abandon the same Pilsudski. Because when someone suddenly forgets the rules of good manners and starts blowing his nose in the curtains, this is not a reason to do the same, this is an opportunity to check his own supply of handkerchiefs.
And in general: the distribution of red and black UPA flags by Ukraine and the army is not a bad topic at all during the next Russian-Ukrainian war,” writes Golobutsky.
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