Would eastern and western Ukraine be better off going their separate ways?

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

I could see an argument for adjusting the borders in the east and giving up the Crimea, but not for outright splitting the country as it currently exists down the middle.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

I'm going to assume western Ukraine is more fiscally conservative, and eastern Ukraine is more socially conservative?

Western Ukraine is fiscally conservative but socially liberal whereas eastern Ukraine is split between constitutional conservatives, bold progressive voices, and straight-talking mavericks with independent streaks a mile wide. Geopolitics 101, my friend.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

I'm going to assume western Ukraine is more fiscally conservative, and eastern Ukraine is more socially conservative?

Western Ukraine is fiscally conservative but socially liberal whereas eastern Ukraine is split between constitutional conservatives, bold progressive voices, and straight-talking mavericks with independent streaks a mile wide. Geopolitics 101, my friend.

Thanks,

Yanukovych was thought to be one of the straight-talking mavericks, but turned out to be more of a PORINO.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

I'm going to assume western Ukraine is more fiscally conservative, and eastern Ukraine is more socially conservative?

Western Ukraine is fiscally conservative but socially liberal whereas eastern Ukraine is split between constitutional conservatives, bold progressive voices, and straight-talking mavericks with independent streaks a mile wide. Geopolitics 101, my friend.

Remember, however, that in a post-socialist context, fiscal conservatism is less about "I want to keep my hard-earned money to myself instead of it being spent on people that are too lazy to work", and more about "I prefer to have my hard-earned money with myself in order to grow my small business, instead of handing it to a government that is obviously corrupt and incapable of getting problems solved - asides, there are already more local officials asking me for bribes than I am able to pay."

Oh, absolutely. It's hard to blame that line of thinking, really, even from a very leftist point of view. (And thank you for turning this thread around to the serious again. I wasn't sure how much longer I was willing to keep up that bullsh[Inks] for.)

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

I'm going to assume western Ukraine is more fiscally conservative, and eastern Ukraine is more socially conservative?

Western Ukraine is fiscally conservative but socially liberal whereas eastern Ukraine is split between constitutional conservatives, bold progressive voices, and straight-talking mavericks with independent streaks a mile wide. Geopolitics 101, my friend.

Thanks,

Yanukovych was thought to be one of the straight-talking mavericks, but turned out to be more of a PORINO.

Yanukovich was always known to be a common thief. "Straight-talking" is a bit of an exaggeration - his capacity for human speech is rather limited (I mean, he is not Brezhnev, but it is hard to imagine him saying anything that anyone may find exciting).

I was being entirely facetious.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

I know Gully's question was rhetorical, but:



Red=Germany
Blue=Czechia
Brown=Slovakia
Purple=Poland
Yellow=Ukraine
Orange=Romania
Green=Hungary
Lime Green=Italy
Beige=Yugoslavia

I would also call the Czech state "Bohemia and Moravia" since Czechia sounds rather awkward and could be confused with Chechnya.

I'd also give all the orange area to Romania and create a little ethnic Hungarian state east of Romania and call it Carpathia.

That would be an enclave within Romania, not to the east of it. I'm not sure the people of Carpathia would be entirely comfortable with that.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Yugoslavia's separation certainly was not conducive to the long-term peace of its region.