David Marples Ukrainian politics are always complex. For the past three and one half years the leadership, in the form of President Petro Poroshenko, has remained stable, though increasingly unpopular. He is likely to stand for reelection in 2019, if not sooner. Otherwise the clearest thing about the views of the electorate is that it […]
How the ‘Jeans Revolution’ ended in Belarus
A personal memoir by ‘Labragirl’ I wasn’t beaten up. I was detained on the most civilian way back in 2006. We were 300 maximum. At 4 AM. They were very target oriented and I was a DJ (I was a SPEAKER without a voice: I lost my voice on a second day because we were […]
Saakashvili’s Escapades in Ukraine
SAAKASHVILI’S ESCAPADES IN UKRAINE David Marples Mikeil Saakashvili’s dramatic return to Ukraine has elicited numerous comments on social media, most of which regard his actions as a positive boost to his reputation and a negative impact on the presidency of Petro Poroshenko, who deprived him of his Ukrainian citizenship in July. But what will be […]
The Nazi-Soviet Pact 78 Years On
David Marples Today, August 23, marks the 78th anniversary of the Pact signed in Moscow between German Foreign Minister Joachim Von Ribbentrop and Soviet Foreign Minister Viacheslav Molotov, with Stalin in attendance. The Pact had dramatic consequences for Central and Eastern Europe and some analysts perceive it as the real date on which the Second […]
A Note on a Belarusian Stalinist
David Marples Several Belarusian newspapers have noted that August 9, 2017, is the 115th anniversary of the birth of Panteleimon Ponomarenko (1902-84, a native of Krasnodar, Russia), the party leader of Belarus during the Stalinist repressions and war years. Ponomarenko has a mixed reputation but there seems to be a consensus that he was always […]
KUZIO-MARPLES: POST-DEBATE REMARKS AND FACT CHECK
Ernest Gyidel Debates play (or at least expected to) a healthy, rejuvenating role in any academic discipline or field of studies, preventing conceptual ossification and ideological rigidity. In this regard, William Szuch’s YouTube channel UkeTube deserves much praise for hosting two (so far) debates on one of the most controversial questions of the Ukrainian history […]
WHAT ELSE COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG? (UK, SWEDEN, JAPAN, USA, CANADA, MAY 9-JULY 2, 2017)
David Marples Hope readers will allow me some self-indulgence with this piece, which is much more light-hearted than usual. It was, we thought, a well planned holiday: seven nights in England, the first to attend the funeral of my Uncle Jim Stringfellow, followed by a week in a Peak District cottage, before a few days […]
Lukashenka is not Belarus
David Marples I would like to clarify some comments I made during my recent interview with Radio Svaboda (http://www.svaboda.org/a/david-marples/28437579.html), taken during a walk around central Minsk. The interview was casual and none of my comments were prepared in advance. As a result, the headline appeared somewhat out of context. It also may have appeared that […]
Days of Freedom in Belarus
David Marples On Saturday, Belarusians will commemorate March 25, the Independence Day of 1918 or as it is more simply known, the Day of Freedom. This year the march has unusual significance because it takes place following a series of protests and mass demonstrations across the country. How serious is unrest in Belarus and what […]
The Destruction of ‘Colonial Remnants’
David Marples In late November 2016, Radio Svoboda held a programme on Ukraine’s ‘post-colonial status’ that featured comments from supporters and practitioners of Decommunisation. Its most notable feature was the sentiment that in spite of the progress made in 2016, many Ukrainians remain ignorant of their own history and trapped in a colonial mindset imposed […]
David R. Marples 