Comments on: Fighting Back http://turkmenistan.neweurasia.net/2006/02/21/97/ Just another WordPress weblog Fri, 5 Dec 2008 03:39:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.3 By: karakum http://turkmenistan.neweurasia.net/2006/02/21/97/#comment-117 karakum Wed, 22 Feb 2006 15:13:06 +0000 http://turkmenistan.neweurasia.net/2006/02/21/97/#comment-117 From the past decade's experience, any Ukrainian government was pathetic, but this one especially so. No single year since 1991 was without reports about Ukrainians not paying on time, or trying to negotiate lower price in the middle of the season, or trying to substitute cash payments for gas with the deliveries of low quality Ukrainian goods, or something else. Their own parliament has just initiated inquiry into the Oil & Gas Dept's state of finances, cases of bribery, etc. and all they do now is try to shift the attention elsewhere. Overall, Ukrainians' reaction in the last few days is another sign of their strategic weakness vis-a-vis gas suppliers in Turkmenistan and Russia - weakness, which at least in part is the result of their own making. It will remain so until their internal institutional arrangements conducive for corruption and inefficiency remain weak. Changing these arrangements appears increasingly unlikely under the present administration. From the past decade’s experience, any Ukrainian government was pathetic, but this one especially so. No single year since 1991 was without reports about Ukrainians not paying on time, or trying to negotiate lower price in the middle of the season, or trying to substitute cash payments for gas with the deliveries of low quality Ukrainian goods, or something else.

Their own parliament has just initiated inquiry into the Oil & Gas Dept’s state of finances, cases of bribery, etc. and all they do now is try to shift the attention elsewhere.

Overall, Ukrainians’ reaction in the last few days is another sign of their strategic weakness vis-a-vis gas suppliers in Turkmenistan and Russia - weakness, which at least in part is the result of their own making. It will remain so until their internal institutional arrangements conducive for corruption and inefficiency remain weak. Changing these arrangements appears increasingly unlikely under the present administration.

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