American lawmakers believe that Ukraine has a democracy that is as strong and thriving as their own. This is the opinion of the co-founders of the House Democracy Assistance Commission and precisely how the Republican presidential candidate John McCain described American democracy in an article carried by The Day on March 19, 2008.
David Price (D - NC), the chairman of the House Democracy Assistance Commission, noted that the goal of his visit was to assess Ukrainian democracy. The same things that can be said about American democracy may be applied to Ukrainian democracy. This does not mean that American democracy is ideal, he noted.
The co-founder of the committee, Congressman David Dreier (R - CA) said that Ukraine has a strong and thriving democracy, just like in the US. He is impressed by the level of debates in Ukrainian society and parliament and regards the respect that Ukrainian MPs accord each other’s positions — even in the heat of debates around burning issues — as an example worthy of emulation.
Congressman Price explained to journalists why the House Democracy Assistance Commission is working with Ukraine and other countries, including Afghanistan, Colombia, East Timor, Georgia, Haiti, Indonesia, Kenya, Lebanon, Liberia, Macedonia, and Moldova. Asked why his commission is helping to develop democracy in our country, considering that Ukraine has been called free and democratic for the past two years, instead of collaborating with many countries that are still not recognized as free, including some of Ukraine’s neighbors, Price replied that America’s partners are precisely those countries that are actively working and making headway in the democratic process.
The fact that the US has partnerships that are mutually coordinated is proof that that democratic development is underway in these countries; they desire democracy, not the reverse. Price also noted that democracy has never been implemented in its ideal format. Democracy in Ukraine is a work in progress. Therefore, the US-Ukraine partnership is where we can exchange experience and ideas on how to develop democracy in a positive way, in regard to the partnership of our two countries, the congressman from North Carolina said.
Congressman Dreier also emphasized partnership and experience exchanges between Ukrainian and American parliamentarians. He said US lawmakers see it as their duty to share the experience of the US Congress, which has existed for 219 years, although they admit that they don’t know all the ways of solving every problem. Democracy is a continuous process. While US lawmakers are prepared to share their experience, they are also prepared to learn from others. The Republican congressman said that, just like his Democratic colleague, he is inspired by President Bush’s upcoming visit to Ukraine. Americans would also be happy to see Ukraine join NATO’s Membership Action Plan (MAP), a status that will eventually allow our country to become a member of this peace-loving North Atlantic Alliance.
The head of the House Democracy Assistance Commission said that the United States has no divided opinions on Ukraine receiving MAP status during the NATO summit in Bucharest. Congressman Price believes that obtaining this status is backed by the very process of Ukraine’s economic and political progress. He also acknowledged that he is hard put to predict the outcome of the Bucharest summit, where some additional conditions, and maybe a modified plan, may be raised. At any rate, he hopes that Ukraine’s political and economic development will continue and that this will assist in Ukraine’s constant and confident progress toward eventual full membership in NATO.
US Ambassador to Ukraine William B. Taylor stressed that receiving the MAP status in Bucharest is not an opportunity for Ukraine that comes around every year. This is also a chance for the North Atlantic Alliance to consider this question. For Ukraine, it is a good time for this question to be resolved before next year’s presidential campaign.
