Essay Contest

My Essay

By: Mykyta Shcherbak

The 4th of November is a very important day for all US citizens. This is the day the nation will elect the new President of the United States. The two candidates are Barak Obama, the candidate for the Democrats, and John McCain, the candidate for the Republicans. The choice the American nation is going to make affects not only the life in the USA, but the foreign policy of the country. Therefore, Ukraine will be affected by the result of the elections as well.

Today my country is at a critical point. We gained our independence only 17 years ago and building democracy is still in process right now. Political events in Ukraine during the winter 2004-2005, best known as "Orange Revolution", proved that we are the country where the power belongs to the people, not to the government. But the politics and economy of our country remain unstable. The last four years we have experienced several crisis of the government, each of which led to snap elections to the Parliament. This has caused increasing inflation and taxes. Today we face another crisis and the opportunity of one more election. Officials, who were replaced every several months couldn't bring these problems under control.

These facts show the challenges my country has. People are not satisfied with the situation. Doing nothing can endanger our economy, life conditions and even sovereignty. Ukrainian citizens want to have not only a democratically elected government, but also one that is competent enough to make the general situation better. But what are the ways to do it?

According to results of observations, most people in Ukraine see the way to stability in European and Transatlantic integration, in particular by joining the European Union and NATO. This will establish favorable conditions for a well-balanced economy, the decrease of criminality and corruption, and, what is most important, a stable government and a successful finish of the process of building the democracy in Ukraine. The attitude of the future US President to the integration of Ukraine is very important for us.

On the 24th of September the President of Ukraine Victor Jushenko visited New York. During the visit he met the Republican candidate John McCain. Mr. McCain assured he is going to make Ukraine-USA relations stronger and support the positive tendencies of these relations. I was really happy to hear that. It gave us hope to stabilize the situation inside our country and to stop the political crisis. However, I don't mean I support McCain more than Obama. I hope Obama is going to have the same position on this point.

"Ukraine is successfully moving toward democracy and making progress expanding freedoms and rights to its people. We can help Ukraine achieve these goals and improve its economy by normalizing trade relations," said Vito J. Fossella , the US Congressman. I hope this quote reflects the thoughts of most US citizens. I hope they make the right choice that will lead to the progress and prosperity in the United States and a profitable Ukraine-US partnership.

A politician looks forward only to the next election.
A statesman looks forward to the next generation.