This Week in the News

The April 2011 issue of National Geographic contains an article by Cathy Newman on Crimea. In it, she gives a general historical overview of the peninsula and the current issues of identity, perceptions of governance, and land issues of the various groups in the ARC. She interviewed a staunch Russian nationalist whose entire family--or at least the male members of it--has worked in the Black Sea Fleet. For her, like many others, Crimea will always be Russian. Newman also includes statements from Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars, displaying the various perspectives of the other two major ethnic groups in Crimea, before culminating in a quote from Leonid Kravchuk, the first president of Ukraine, on the problem that the ARC presents for Ukraine as a whole. Whereas Potemkin called Crimea the "wart on Russia's nose," Kravchuk considers it a "festering carbuncle."

This article, in a relatively short space, covers all of the major angles of Crimea-as-problem: Crimean Tatar land issues, Russian nationalism, separatist movements, ethnic tension between Crimean Russians and Tatars, etc. In exchanging depth for breadth, Newman provides a succinct and knowledgeable piece on the Crimean issue. That said, nothing is too damning or shocking, and she seems to be above taking sides in the matter. This makes sense, especially considering that as summer approaches, the Crimean tourist season is about to enter full swing and it is in no one's interest to diminish one of Crimea's major sources of revenue.

The Kyiv post reports that this summer, Crimean tourism is expected to rise 5% more than last year, to 6 million vacationers. Crimean Resorts and Tourism Minister Heorhiy Psariov stated that this means that the Crimean government will need to increase infrastructure spending and money for hotel development. To do this, the government is auctioning off several land plots for private investment to spark economic growth, especially in the tourism sector. Selling land plots seems to me to be a dicey move, especially since a sizable chunk of an ethno-religious minority--the Crimean Tatars--has been petitioning for government land to resolve the squatting problems and providing homes for tens of thousands of families. Should the Crimean government auction off hectares and hectares of land without adequately providing for the needs of the Tatars, it is possible that may serve as the tipping point to violent conflict.

Radio Free Europe, in their continuing coverage of the Crimean Tatars, this week posted the video below, again highlighting the very poor conditions that many Tatars face daily.



Articles referenced in this post

Crimean Tatar Repatriates Fight For Land Rights

http://www.rferl.org/video/16798.html

Crimean Tourism Minister: Crimea expects to host 6 million tourists this summer

http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/100849/

A Jewel in Two Crowns: Russia’s paradise lost belongs to Ukraine—and that’s where the trouble begins

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/04/crimea/newman-text