Do good relations with Russia mean a total abandonment of its neighbors? From Foreign Policy's The Argument:
Russia has always had a knack for overshadowing its neighbors - and this time the West, focused on Moscow, is distracted from a crisis in Ukraine. As U.S. President Barack Obama gears up to "reset" Russia relations, Ukraine is in disarray. The country is teetering between economic collapse, Russian influence, and vague promises of Western support. It will take decisive moves from Washington to help pull Ukraine back from the edge. At the least, Obama should visit ailing Ukraine and prove that good relations with Russia don't meant forgetting the rest of the region.
What possible reason does Obama and the United States have for spending valuable time and resources on a medium-sized country in Eastern Europe with zero strategic or economic importance to it? Please tell me.
Ukraine falls within Europe's sphere of interest (i.e. its a neighbor) and it should be the one step up to the plate and offer Ukraine help.
If there are problems next Winter concerning gas shipments then Europe will have nobody but itself to blame.
Indeed, Timothy, Ukraine is much more important for Europe than for America (and notice Putin's and Medvedev's immediate reaction to the Eastern Partnership). To the extent that America has "interests all over the world" (which I guess still goes with its status as "hegemonic superpower", whatever that means), Ukraine still plays a role in American foreign policy, but not one larger than, say, Thailand or Uruguay.
Of course, this is from a strictly pragmatic, Realpolitik point of view. If you buy into the "but we should foster the spread of democracy" narrative -- some people do, I guess it has some influence at the decision-making in America -- then it would make sense for America to worry about Ukraine, because, as the author of the post states, helping truly democratic regimes arise in the former Soviet space would send indirect help to the forces struggling for democracy inside Russia. If one thinks that this is a "bonum" in general -- that it is good to help democracy grow in other countries, no matter whether this makes pragmatic sense or not for America's current main interests in the world -- then this would justify this interest.
Of course, I don't have such a starry-eyed vision of American foreign policy. I just mention it as a possibility.
Also, I totally agree -- Europe could help Ukraine strengthen its democracy and work as a counterweight to Russian influence. If they let this go -- if internal divisions in the EU make them blind to the problems that an unstable and/or over-Russified Ukraine would imply for them -- then it's their own damn fault.
But frankly I don't have much hope for the EU. It's too divided, and its members can't even agree on what it means for them. Unless something happens pretty quickly, I'm guessing the EU will end up going the way of the League of Nations (except it will be downgraded to a Common Market or Free Trade Area or something similar), and for similar reasons: lack of real and widespread interest in going beyond parochial concerns.