Ukraine's Uneasy Road to Independence

At least 3 issues cloud Ukraine's goal to maintain its current National borders: natural gas, corruption and self-determination. Ukraine's state-owned gas monopoly, Natftogaz, buys most of its natural gas from Russia at market prices but then sells its to the people at huge discounts. Why? Over the years, politicians have bribed voters with all kinds of goodies, like cheap gas. The result? Huge losses and accumulating national debt. And because human nature takes advantage of any free or discounted services provided by government, Ukraine's waste of Natural gas makes it one of the least energy--efficient countries in the world.

Now to corruption. Last week, Naftogaz's CEO Yevhen Bakulin was arrested for "corrupt schemes" in the gas sector. A few days later, Ukraine's former energy minister was arrested for corruption and a search of his home uncovered 42 kilograms of gold and almost 5 million $ in cash. This follows the discovery of millions in cash and loot stolen by former President Yanokovych when demonstrators occupied his home.

The third cloud is self-determination. It appears that the majority of Crimeans want to return to mother Russia. This is arguably the most difficult issue to reconcile. Most Nations of the World were forged by the will of a people to determine their own National identity. From the fall of the Phoenician, Roman and British empires to the American Revolution to the collapse of the Soviet Union--the list is endless--the principle of self-determination is the cornerstone on which all countries are built. Stay tuned for further developments.