COTTonLINE believes he has struck the right note with regard to Ukraine. The "glass half full for both sides" approach Kissinger outlines makes sense. For example, about optimal internal arrangements he writes:
Ukraine should be free to create any government compatible with the expressed will of its people. Wise Ukrainian leaders would then opt for a policy of reconciliation between the various parts of their country.About Ukraine's foreign policy, he proposes Ukraine adopt Finland as a model:
Internationally, they should pursue a posture comparable to that of Finland. That nation leaves no doubt about its fierce independence and cooperates with the West in most fields but carefully avoids institutional hostility toward Russia.Avoiding "institutional hostility," Finland is not a member of NATO which was established to thwart the expansionism of that Russian avatar, the Soviet Union. Of his recommendations, Kissinger concludes:
People familiar with the region will know that not all of them will be palatable to all parties. The test is not absolute satisfaction but balanced dissatisfaction.
