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US Removes Piracy Sanctions From Ukraine

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the carrot-on-a-stick dept.

An anonymous reader writes The US has restored Ukraine to their preferred trade partner status after requiring the country to crack down on piracy. The United States had also imposed 100-percent import duties on $75 million worth of Ukrainian exports since 2002." From the article: "Concern over high piracy rates prompted the Bush administration to suspend Ukraine from the program in 2001. At that time, Ukraine was the largest producer and exporter of pirated CDs and DVDs in Europe, USTR said."

4 of 157 comments (clear)

  1. New relationship because of the elections by CRCulver · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The US has restored Ukraine to their preferred trade partner status after requiring the country to crack down on piracy.

    More like the US has restored Ukraine after installing a puppet who, even if he doesn't solve the privacy problem, is useful to the US in other ways.

    I was in Kyiv two weeks ago. The consequences of the election of Yushenko are already evident, Ukrainian young people want to align themselves so much with the West that it's suddenly all McDonalds and Coca-Cola (wasn't this bad during my first trip here four years ago). Ukrainian traditional culture is being eroded before one's eyes. This isn't the normal pace of globalisation, this is Ukraine rapidly getting the life sucked out of it by a new administration that doesn't care about its own country. Of course, the other choice would have been a Russian puppet, who would be almost as bad (but at least the Russians are fellow Orthodox). The best turn of events would be an isolationist Ukraine, but no one stepped forward asking to turn the country in that direction.

    Piracy hasn't changed much in Kyiv. There are a few new places to buy media legally (in touristy locals where foreigners hangout), but most markets sell bootlegs.

    1. Re:New relationship because of the elections by gkuz · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Ukrainian young people want to align themselves so much with the West

      Deciding this for themselves is, then, anathema to you? They are supposed to want what you want?

      this is Ukraine rapidly getting the life sucked out of it by a new administration that doesn't care about its own country

      Led by a president who very nearly gave his life just as a consequence of running for President, to throw off the Russian yoke -- that's how little he cares about his own country? Who speaks Ukrainian -- not Russian -- at every official function because Ukrainian is the official language. His language. A language Yanukovich doesn't even speak.

      (but at least the Russians are fellow Orthodox)

      Many Ukrainians are not Orthodox. Many of those that are do not belong to the Moscow Patriarchate.

      Please learn some more before you go back again.

    2. Re:New relationship because of the elections by gkuz · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Orthodoxy is the historic faith of most of Ukraine

      One should be careful in using words like "historic" or "always". What faith did Volodymyr take on in 988? Is that even a meaningful question, pre-Schism? So what does "historic" mean? Or "always Russian-speaking"? What was being spoken when Kyiv was golden domes and Muscovy was a swamp?

      A Belgian solution may indeed have been found. But it wasn't. The Ukrainians I talk to know they are Ukrainians. They don't want to be Poles or Belgians or Americans. Let them decide, OK? Your cultural chauvinism, saying what they are "supposed" to want, is as bad as what you deride.

  2. **AA Goverment by jonfr · · Score: 4, Insightful

    /scarsam

    When did the MPAA and RIAA get into the U.S goverment ? I am also sure that Ukraine goverment has been "figthing" piracy. Since there is so much less real crime in that country.

    Somebody in the U.S goverment needs to be reconnected to reality.

    scarsam/