Human consciousness today is so overloaded with information that any information exceeding the limits of everyday needs and requiring additional intellectual efforts is perceived and digested with difficulty; especially, if it contradicts deeply-rooted stereotypes. That is why the image of Ukraine as a country with the ancient history, powerful fundamental science and education does not fit into the Procrustean bed of traditional ideas of European philistines.

Any country in the eyes of an average man without ambitions of a great traveler wishing to visit all corners of the planet personally – is a very short list of associations – that is, names, geographic names, historical events and contemporary scandals, cultural phenomena (national cuisine, folk songs, dances) and so on.

What does an average European, who has never been to our country, know about Ukraine? Sports lovers will remember Euro-2012 and recall, perhaps, Andriy Shevchenko (the famous footballer, now having finished his career), Vitaliy Klitschko (not the lesser famous boxer who, despite the traumatic sport he participates in, receives the PhD scientific degree and also tries himself in politics) and some other “stars”. Non-sports fans, perhaps (it may not be true) will recall Olga Kurylenko, another James Bond’s girlfriend. Those interested in politics will remember about the Soviet past of our country, the EU Association Agreement and the “Tymoshenko factor”. The rest are unlikely to mention anything more than the scandals connected with the FEMEN movement, strengthening the offensive view on Ukraine as one more place for the pilgrimage of sex tourists and also a personal experience of socializing with Ukrainian guest-workers.

It is not my purpose to lecture on or talk about the Trypillian culture and its achievements or to tell as in his time our great ruler Yaroslav the Wise used to lend money to the king of split and poor France, that the subsequent monarchs took their oath on the bible of this ruler’s daughter in Rheims. Or that Ukrainian scientists (not expatriates from Ukraine but people who lived and worked here) made earth shattering discoveries of the global significance in the fields of cybernetics, physics, biology and other fields of scientific knowledge.

I would like to talk about other things. Unfortunately, Ukraine has not been considered by everybody as an independent promising state even in 20 years since the collapse of the USSR and gaining independence. There exist objective reasons for that: two decades are nothing in terms of eternity and it is not easy to overcome the time lag of its perception and, besides, contemporary education cannot be called encyclopedic and far from all common citizens even in the countries of the “golden billion” know at all that “Ukraine is not Russia” (a book title of one of our presidents) J.

However, there are also subjective, dangerous and unfair aspects which together lead to the fact that the world community often unjustifiably applies the presumption of guilt to our country. Certain forces find it beneficial to create an image of Ukraine as a failed country which is alien to democracy, where political persecutions are common things, where honest investors have nothing to do, where there are neo-Nazis and skinheads at every step and so on. The motives may be different: somebody is in pain seeing indigenous lands being independent, some want to show that after the failure of the orange illusions Ukraine is hopelessly lost for the democratic world. And that the integration into the European space is not a tribute to the historical justice and the geographical reality but some priceless privilege to be deserved.

That is why I would like to caution European political and public figures and also people who would want to come to Ukraine on business or as tourists against the blind belief in the artificially imposed myths. The Ukrainian sport is not just Shevchenko, the Ukrainian art is not just Kurylenko, and the Ukrainian politics is not just Tymoshenko. Everything is much more complicated, versatile and interesting. It merely requires a desire to figure out the subject of the discussion just to avoid being misled by myth creators.

And to reject a policy of double standards; whether we want it or not but all ambitious countries divide into the “aristocrats” and the “new riches”. The “aristocrats” have their history – “roots”, they do not need to prove anything, and it is enough for them to simply live decently and no to sin too openly. The “cream” of the international society is inclined to forgive such countries (their elites or temporary alliances of the elites with their people) petty lapses and serious blunders, because they belong to the “group”. The “new riches”, in spite of being honorable and intelligent or lowdown and silly, are perceived with caution. They are “strangers”. That is why they have to fight for their place under the sun with teeth and claws or by looking affectionately into the eyes of the “aristocrats”. The most famous “new riches” having made the “aristocrats” respect themselves are the US, whose way China is now endeavoring to replicate, with only one reservation that Chine seems to be more of a downshifter “aristocrat” having decided to reestablish its international reputation after a certain break. Unfortunately, Ukraine, despite its centuries-old (and, alas, contradictory) history has failed to join the group of the “aristocrats”. But it is no reason to regard it as an object and a resource rather than a subject and a driving force.

Of course, a positive image of Ukraine abroad and the braking of negative stereotypes must become a matter of honor for the Ukrainians themselves – patriotic people, public organizations, government bodies. It would be desirable if effort to create it did not come up against a brick wall of bias and unwillingness to hear annoying information. We are living in a difficult world where an ability to learn to think clearly and to reject a comfortable, simplified perception of reality is a guarantee of survival even for the successful “aristocrats”.

Author : Ukrainian European Choice