Other Papers

Ukraine

On June 23, 2005 Igor Gavrilov, President of the Dutch-Ukrainian Business club, and I arrived in Lugansk, a town of about 500,000 people, in the eastern part of Ukraine. We first met Vadim Torbin, the Mayor's counselor, who then took us to the East Ukrainian National University where we met with Professor Valentyn Goncharov and his translator Helen. Professor Goncharov is listed in the international biographies book, he is Head of the International Relations Department at the University and a well-known person on campus. In 1998 he visited Texas and lectured at several Universities there. The East Ukrainian National University has 31,000 students studying 117 specialties and it occupies 55 buildings. We enjoyed a few toasts of Ukrainian Cognac and Vodka before dining and discussing some of the issues facing the university and the city of Lugansk.

The next day Professor Goncharov took us to see Alexander Golubenko, Rektor of the University. He explained some of the future plans and financial needs of the University. They want to upgrade their library along with some other buildings on the campus and build a new athletic building. Mr. Golubenko mentioned the possibility of having the new building named after a benefactor who makes a significant contribution which would pay for construction.	Meeting with the University Rector (above)
After the meeting the Professor showed us various buildings on campus and I was able to speak with a few students including the student of the year, who happened to be leaving the library as we were entering.
	In the afternoon we met the Mayor of Lugansk, Yevgen Burlachenko. He explained some of the problems the city is facing: unemployment, decreasing population, deteriorating infrastructure and the city is losing money on city services. Meeting with the Mayor (left)
I reassured them that Ukraine has a bright future if they simply avoid the mistakes being made by the US and Western Europe. Ukraine should stay out of the European Union, as Western Europe will degenerate into a group of squabbling little countries trying to get more benefits from the EU and forcing each other to accept more immigrants that none of them want. As the face of Europe changes wealthy people will look for a nicer place to live and if Ukraine is ready it will prosper in the future. One city official smiled and noted that during a visit to France he felt like he was in an Islamic nation and in England it was like India. He added that the current plight of the West is caused by its imperialist past.
The officials I met said that they would appreciate the advice of experts at the Eurasia Center. Financial help would also be useful but they understand that money may be harder to get at a time like this. I said that we would try to help. Jim & White Flight at the University Library (right)

I sometimes hear people say that one of the benefits of living in a multicultural society is the great variety of restaurants we can choose from. Until recently I felt that this was the best argument in favor of immigration and really the only one that made any sense. During my recent stay in Ukraine I enjoyed eating at many types of restaurants in the city. Among various others, I went to one Indian and two Japanese restaurants. These places were different from the ones back home in one important way. There were no Indians or Japanese working there, only Ukrainians. The Indian food was less authentic (compared to what I get at home) and a bit bland. But the price was low enough that I could not complain; $2 to $3 for a light lunch. The Japanese food was excellent and seemed authentic enough for my taste although the wasabi was much less strong than that which I throw away in America. Both Japanese restaurants were more expensive and better than the Japanese places I've visited at home.

Chechens, Tartars, Georgians, Caucasians and other people from the South are sometimes referred to as black. They are darker and look a little more Arabic but would probably pass for white in America. Most westerners might not know that they are non-Russians or non-Ukrainians. In the former Soviet Union the term Caucasian does not refer to white people the same way it does in America. A Russian might be offended if you ask if he is Caucasian, even if he is one.

I only saw a few Negroes, Arabs and Chinese during my visit. The number of Arabs seems to be growing and someone told me that the Chinese population is also increasing but I did not notice it from previous trips. I always try to discuss this issue and tell people how important it is. Most of the locals agree that these people do not belong in Ukraine but they don't think it is a problem.

Some Ukrainians actually don't know or care about cultural differences. They know about Gypsies and Georgians but some of them think black and white Americans are the same. When I told one lady that blacks have a lower IQ and commit more crimes she said that it is impossible, it must be a lie spread by racists.

Poverty may be the only circumstance saving Eastern Europe from the same immigrant invasion that is afflicting the West. Foreign students who go to school in Ukraine and Russia usually leave to find better jobs after they graduate. The government does not have enough money to waste on brainwashing its citizens to accept the unacceptable. However if they become prosperous it could mean their demise. The pressure from immigrants wanting to come will increase with increasing wages. There will be more need for cheap foreign labor. It may already be starting; wages have tripled in the last five years. If they do not make a firm commitment to remaining a white Christian nation I fear they will succumb. Eastern European nations will need to write it in their constitutions to ensure survival.

We in the West must help save Eastern Europe. It may be a refuge of last resort if we lose our territory. When we meet people from these places we need to remind them how lucky they are. Convince them that the EU is bad because it is taking away freedoms of member nations. If their leaders keep out non-European immigrants Eastern Europe could be the richest and nicest place in the world as early as the year 2020. Wealthy people seeking to escape the West will bring billions of dollars into the economy.

James Schneider,
Center for Perpetual Diversity