It was about 10 years ago when I travelled in Poland and since then I see a lot of nice chances, especially in Wroclaw, where I felt a progressive cosmopolitan vibe, the city is modern in many ways, has an unique grandeur, it shows that Poland has the strongest economy in Eastern Europe. From a historical point of view it has done a remarkable job.

The political transformation started in Gdansk, birthplace of the empowering pioneers of Solidarity trade union. whose protests eventually hastened the downfall of communism. Poland received fundamental help of the European Union, sending small fortunes to the official bank of Poland, big money, stimulating investments, to encourage their initiative designing western democracy.

I remember the years after the Fall of the soviet Union, in 1991 Poland was the first ex Soviet country ready for a shock-therapy, kicking all the diehard communists out of the government. Right away, without any serious resistance from within, Poland signed an association agreement with the EU. That was the opening, the road to freedom, the new political order in the country. It was a wise move, joining Europe, essential for the promising future.

Many progressive managers and economists from the west came to work in Warsaw, shared their expertise and showed the way to make it work, how to operate the free market. The ins and outs, blessings and snake-pits of capitalism.

Poland was the first to adapt a functioning democracy. Poland had the necessary flexibility that poor Ukraine missed. Here, at this point in the tumultuous history of both countries, I see the cause of stagnation. The small-minded Ukrainian government could not handle the chances and the communist elite, their apparatchiki, the farting old generation of super conservative reactionary politicians who did not have the understanding nor imagination what democracy means what it is all about. How do you teach monkeys the alphabet? Can not do. Their outdated ideas blocked the progress of Ukraine for a long time, leaders continued the restrictive rules.

Desperately needed economic reforms failed to materialise. The economy was terribly neglected and deteriorated to catastrophic proportions. Unemployment and inflation surged. There was hardly any privatisation, but impoverishment was widespread: the lucky ones who still had jobs earned an average of 15 dollars per month, while the prices of food and related products continued to rise, and inflation was brutal, mean. Ukraine was at risk of falling apart. The process of state-building dragged on and failed, was never able to transition into a democratic model.

Leonid Kravchuk was first elected president of Ukraine. He served from 1991 until 1994. I like to discuss with Ihor the times we have shared together, being lively present on different stages of history and I ask him about his first president. Ihor reacts with a disapproving face as if he smells a nasty odour rising from the garbage can. He remembers Leonid Kravchuck very well and tells a story  about the man I should not believe but do believe, how ugly corrupt he was. And corruption is still in Ukrainian politics today an issue, a painful frightful phenomenon that cannot be cleaned up and maybe keeps Ukraine out of Europe for about another ten years. Hopefully my conclusion will be proved wrong.