via D.M. - As disappointing as it was for all the protestors and those who support them to hear Klitschko and the guys to ask everyone to wait several days, it is important to understand the position they are in: if they walk into the current presidents heavily-guarded building and declare their intention to overthrow him and establish an alternative government, the odds of them being allowed to leave that building under their own power are very slim. Also, as counterintuitive as it sounds to even attempt to negotiate with a despot who always lies, stalls for time, and orders attacks immediately after promising peace, by repeatedly coming peacefully to the table with Yanukovych directly they are able to show all of Ukraine how powerful the opposition has gotten... and show all the world that they are doing all they can to resolve this peacefully. Given the current state of global affairs with Syria and the Arab Spring, international observers have little appetite for choosing sides in yet another bloody civil war where atrocities are committed on both sides. Showing the world that they engage in violence only as a very last resort gives them a much better chance of getting international support, which Klitschko is actively campaigning for and just might get. Its also important to remember that the protests are always largest on Sundays, when people are off work and can travel from other cities. If they truly plan to go on the offensive and try to overthrow Yanukovych, it makes sense to launch into action when the largest possible crowd is there to defend it. Finally, with protestors bloody corpses and numerous disgusting atrocities committed by Berkut out in the open with video proof and some members of the presidents party openly praising such shocking events, a large swell of domestic support for the opposition and growing international consequences emerging, and the resignation of some judges and government officials already, the possibility exists that some police officers and party deputies may decide to defect either out of conscience or fear of what will happen to them if the brutal strategy fails. By giving the protest the weekend to grow and openly calling on the police and parliamentarians to defect, they may actually get enough defections to weaken Berkut or enough votes to overturn the dictatorial laws. Its a long shot, but when Azarov stands for another theatrical vote of no confidence in five days, he may be surprised to find his party just fractured enough by the latest events to topple him. But on the other hand, if the governments stipulation for releasing detainees and honoring the cease-fire is that protestors have to be peaceful throughout the weekend, and this is the same government that has lied every time so far and pays titushki to dress up as protestors and stir up fights to discredit them... its definitely a risky strategy. Whatever happens, lets all just hope peace prevails and Ukraine regains its freedom
Posted on: Fri, 24 Jan 2014 06:28:30 +0000