In this issue: Does language matter p. 47 Zawada to CUPP Interns p. 48 Life in Luhansk p. 53 CUPP in Third Decade CUPP 014 NEWSLETTER ISSUE 014 – Issue CUPP NEWSLETTER ISIS – Putin Dreams of Empires . 3 CUPP Interns ................................ 4 "My Experiences in Canada were life-changing" ................... 44 Ukraine's Quest for NATO Membership: legally or politically difficult? ..................................... 46 Does Lanaguage Matter? .......... 47 Dear CUPP Interns and Participants of Model Ukraine Cnferences ................................. 48 CUPP 014 Interns with Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Ukrainian Day on Parliament Hill 014 ...................................... 49 History of CUPP nadian Parliament, and gain "Перспективи розвитку experience from which generations of торгово-економічних відносин On July 16, 1990, the Ukrainian Par- Canadian, American and West Euro- України та Канади: Угода про liament adopted the Declaration of pean students have benefited. On the зону вільної торгівлі" ............ 50 Sovereignty, which declared that Par- basis of academic excellence, know- liament recognized the need to build ledge of the English or French and Life in Luhansk, with War the Ukrainian state based on the Rule Ukrainian languages, and on interest Around You ................................ 53 of Law. On August 24, 1991, the Ukrai- in the Westminster model parliamen- nian Parliament adopted the Declara- tary system of government, university tion of Independence, which the citi- "My Personal Experience of students from Ukraine and foreign uni- zens of Ukraine endorsed in the Maydan" ..................................... 55 versities, can apply for a CUPP intern- referendum of December 1, 1991. Also ship program. It is hoped that CUPP in 1991, Canadians celebrated the will contribute to the education of fu- "Okean Elzy" Concert Centennial of Ukrainian group immi- in Montreal ................................. 58 ture leaders of Ukraine. gration to Canada. To mark the Cen- In 2014, 33 students from universities tennial, organizations planned pro- in Austria, Belgium, Finland, Italy, Is- Марш миру в Москві ............... 64 grams and projects to celebrate this rael, Netherlands, Poland, Switzer- milestone in Canada's history. land, United Kingdom and Ukraine will Pro-Putin Demonstration The Chair of Ukrainian Studies Foun- complete a two-month internship in in Ottawa .................................... 68 dation of Toronto decided to mark the the House of Comons. Concurently, Centennial by establishing the Cana- university students from the University Ukrainian Day on Parliament da-Ukraine Parliamentary Program for of Toronto, York University and the Hill 014 ...................................... 69 university students from Ukraine. The University of Ottawa will complete an Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Pro- internship as part of the Macdonald gram gives Ukrainian students an op- Laurier Program. Contact Us portunity to work and study in the Ca- Chair of Ukrainian Studies Foundation 620 Spadina Avenue People who worked on this issue of the Newsletter: Ivanka Bardyn, Toronto, Ontario, Lucy Hicks, Oleksiy Kovalenko (CUPP 2014), Nataliia Maslennykova Canada M5S 2H4 (CUPP 2014), Oleh Naumenko (CUPP 2014), Pavlo Sorokin (CUPP 2014), Tel.: (416) 234-9111 Ihor Bardyn, Yuri Darewycz. Fax: (416) 234-9114 Cover Design: Maria Korolenko (CUPP 2014). www.KATEDRA.org Layout: Basilian Press. Printed: Bassilian Press, Toronto. CANADA-UKRAINE PARLIAMENTARY PROGRAM CUPP 014 NEWSLETTER ISSUE CUPP in Third Decade ISIS – Putin Dreams of Empires by Ihor BARDYN Director Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Program ISIS Caliphate said they would.“ On October 3,2014 on CBC radio, Russian World Canadian diplomat Robert Fowler Putin is sowing chaos and disor- said; “I believe that the Islamic state der in the “frozen conflict zones” cre- represents an essential threat to our ated by the Kremlin in Abkhazia & Agreement to link Ukraine with Eu- values, to our way of life and eventu- South Ossetia (Georgia), Transdnis- rope in the economic sphere. The ally, perhaps not immediately, to us tria (Moldova), Nagorno-Karabakh demonstrators on November 26 and here in Canada. And they will grow (Armenia-Azerbaijan), Crimea thereafter were overwhelmingly stronger, they are growing stronger (Ukraine) and now Donetsk People’s youth and university students. daily and they hope very much that Republic, Lugansk People’s Repub- Some of the protesters in Mos- we will respond exactly the way we lic. cow and Kyiv had something in com- have responded. That is, with limited In Bucharest, during the NATO mon. They had spent a year or more enthusiasm, with a loose not terribly Summit of 2008, Putin told George abroad studying in a EU or North cohesive coalition for a limited peri- W. Bush “Ukraine is not even a American university, attended an od of time. If that’s all we do, we are state”. Russia’s spinmeisters and American high school or completed certain, certain, to pay.” some western journalists repeat the a parliamentary Internship in the Ca- Fowler was replying to the ques- proposition that Russia because of nadian, German or European Parlia- tion of the West’s response to the its historic ties to Ukraine holds a ment. They were inoculated by the threat by ISIS, and his belief that in “sphere of influence” and a respon- democratic virus, European or North order to defeat ISIS, “Which is an all- sibility to interfere (“right to interfere”) American strain and on returning to out, confrontation with these guys, in countries of the near abroad, like their homelands yearned of living in would require lots of troops on the Ukraine. Presumably this right to in- a normal country, with a transparent ground and a very nasty war.“ terfere in Ukraine facilitated Russia’s government. Fowler arrived at his conclusion Parliament (the Duma) the authority But their dreams began to fade as a result of his capture by Al Qae- to vote, to give Putin the right to use as the managed democracy of Vlad- da, on December 14, 2008 in the Is- Russian armed forces in Ukraine. imir Putin and the corrupt and oligar- lamic Maghreb. He was held hos- Despite the documented vote by the chic government of Yanukhovych tage for 180 days in the Sahara Russian Duma, Putin maintains, began to converge. Desert and released on April 21, paradoxically that Russia is not a 2009. party to the war in Ukraine. Little Green Men When the CBC interviewer asked In March 2014 Putin annexed Fowler what basis he had for advo- Flex Program Curtailed Crimea with the help of “little green On September 30, 2014 Russia cating war with troops against al Qa- men”, who are Russian Special withdrew from the US funded FLEX eda he said” it comes from the fact Forces (Spetsnaz) who act as local program. Flex, which had operated that I got to know these guys or rath- security forces without any identify- for 21 years in Eurasian countries er, let me be clear, I got to know 31 ing insignia and whom Vladimir Pu- was a program which provided schol- of them. Now are they all the same? tin calls “polite people”. Next Rus- arships for high school students Actually I think they are pretty much sia’s “little green men” popped up in (ages 15 to 17, to spend an academ- the same. Is their motivation pretty the 2 Ukrainian provinces of Donbas ic year in the United States, living much the same? Yes. But the lan- and Luhansk. Eventually these prox- with a family and attending an Amer- guage they spoke, they told me very, ies for Putin were supplemented by ican high school. very clearly, time and again, what regular Russian army troops who their objectives were and of course Demonstrations “lost their way near the border and the ‘they’ I am talking about are Al On September 21, 2014 thou- wandered into Ukraine, or who trav- Qaeda in the Islamic margreb. And sands of people marched in Moscow elled to Luhansk or Donetsk to spend their objectives were to sow chaos to protest against the war in eastern their vacations taking part in war- and disorder from the Atlantic Ocean Ukraine and the Kremlin’s involve- fare, or who voluntarily held rocket to the Indian Ocean. And in that cha- ment in the war. A sizeable segment launching demonstrations on the os and terror they believe their Jihad of the protesters were youth in their Ukrainian border.” would thrive. And that is exactly what 20’s. NATO, the EU and the Western they are doing in Syria and Iraq. Maydan began in November democracies were unprepared for That’s exactly what they are doing in 2013 as a peaceful demonstration Putin’s actions in Ukraine. Their re- Libya. That’s what they are still try- against Yanukhovych’s decision to sponse was the introduction of sanc- ing to do in Mali and Algeria, in So- decline signing the EU Association malia. So they are doing what they (Continued on p. 31.) CANADA-UKRAINE PARLIAMENTARY PROGRAM 3 CUPP in Third Decade CUPP 014 NEWSLETTER ISSUE CUPP Interns who managednot to fall – Lina Kostenko. Favourite musical recording: “Ja pidu v daleki goru” by Kvitka Tsisuk. Outstanding landmark or architecture in Canada: the Canadian Museum of History. The Museum of History's permanent galleries explore Canada's 20,000 years of human history and a program of special exhi- bitions expands on Canadian themes and explore oth- er cultures and civilizations, past and present. The museum is also a major research institution. Its staff includes leading experts in Canadian history, archae- ology, ethnology, and folk culture. Oleksandra BROVKO Born in: Energodar, Zaporizhya region, Ukraine. Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, established in 1834. Institute of International Relations. Motto of the University: “Utilitas honor et gloria”. – “Utility honor, and glory”. World Trade Institute, University of Bern, estab- lished in 1834. Motto of the University: “A MILE ahead”. Foreign languages: English, French, Russian. Dr. Taras Fecycz Scholarship recipient. Kateryna BRUSENTSOVA (Katya) Intern to Hon. Jason Kenney, MP for Calgary South- Born: Kharkiv, Ukraine east, Alberta, Minister of Employment and Social De- Hometown: Toronto, Ontario velopmentand Minister for Multiculturalism.