 Having lived in Ukraine full-time for almost 12 years and having been involved with the country long before that, I've had a ringside seat to much of the country's independent history. And I am able to claim certain distinctions, mostly by happenstance, not any particular brilliance of my own.
One of those distinctions is having known all of the United States' ambassadors to Ukraine since that position came into being, starting with Roman Popadiuk and continuing up to the very recent incumbent, William B. Taylor, Jr.
On Constitution Day, June 28, I had an opportunity to spend an hour with Taylor in a meeting hosted by the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council that included about 40 persons, most of whom were top business and NGO leaders in Ukraine.
Just as in the past, I was very favorably impressed by Taylor for a number of reasons, not the least of which was what appears to be a great willingness and ability to listen to those people he is representing. The ambassador asked for suggestions and he certainly got what he bargained for from this group, some of whom have been active in Ukraine for 15 years or more.
Taylor is a man who is accustomed to controversy--some of it in circumstances involving active, sustained and deadly gunfire. His most recent posting, as the U.S. government's representative to the Quartet's effort to facilitate the Israeli disengagement from Gaza and parts of the West Bank, had elements that Ukraine cannot match - thank goodness!
However, having previously served in Baghdad as Director of the Iraq Reconstruction Management Office, and in Kabul, as coordinator of U.S. government and international assistance to Afghanistan, even dealing with Israel-Palestine problems might have seemed tame -- and Ukraine almost like a vacation cruise.
However, the ambassador could not help having been less than pleased with the consensus among the Americans and European business leaders in the June 28 meeting.
There was almost universal agreement that in some areas Ukraine has improved under the Yushchenko administration but even more universal were the opinions that for every positive move there have been a myriad of missed opportunities. Just as most of us have heard - in too many other conversations to count - the single word most commonly used in regard to the Yushchenko presidency was and is, "disappointment!"
However, what had to be the most disturbing thing the ambassador heard was that under the Yushchenko administration corruption has increased rather than decreased. No one suggested that this relates to Yushchenko himself, but more to a general lack of central direction and leadership.
And perhaps the most disturbing theme coming from most of the business people in the meeting was an agreement that no part of the Ukrainian state structure has changed less than the judiciary. Companies doing business here have always attempted to avoid going to court, knowing that in the past court judgments were as often as not the result of outright bribery. Many in this meeting clearly believe that the judicial situation is the cancer at the heart of Ukraine's economy and that major surgery is needed - and soon - to make progress on this issue. However, no one evidenced any belief that a clean-up of judicial problems is forthcoming under the current leadership.
Ambassador Taylor said that he is not one to volunteer a lot of advice to foreign governments and that is probably a good posture to assume. One can only hope that the current administration and the new government - when we get one - will be asking for help in solving some of these problems, and that it will be freely given.
Although I've been in Ukraine for well-over a decade, I've been with the Willard Group for only about three months and editor-in-chief of the Ukrainian Observer for only one issue previous to this one.
Those of us with responsibility for this publication are dedicated to seeing it improve and prosper. And, just as the new ambassador, we try to be good listeners.
There is a trite - but still true - old bromide in business, which goes, "If you're happy with our service, tell your friends. If you have a complaint, tell us."
If you want to write with suggestions, complaints, praise, whatever, please do so to jim@twg.com.ua.
I am available at least five days on Kyiv 502-3005 and every day of the year on 8-050-352-06-44.
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