At the onset of Russia-backed separatism in early 2014, some in Donbas, eastern Ukraine would say, “Better to have our own stupid master than a smart foreign master.” It’s a spin on the Russian proverb about husbands—“Better your own idiot than a smart stranger.”
The expression would suggest that the newly installed Ukrainian government, however inadequate, is better than a foreign Russian government, however more adequate that might be perceived by the people of Donbas.
In announcing comprehensive reforms targeted at breaking the circle of “our people” and inviting foreigners to lead the country, President Petro Poroshenko is not taking such proverbs to heart. Instead, he has pursued a skilled team, proposing a law last November to allow foreigners to take top government positions and simplify procedures for granting Ukrainian citizenship through fast tracking with presidential approval.
The move to invite foreigners into the government, while controversial, is an effective strategy for breaking corruption links and adopting new ideas.
Within a month of his proposition, three foreigners were appointed to Ukraine’s new government: U.S.-born Natalie Jaresko as finance minister, Lithuania’s Aivaras Abromavicius as economy minister, and Aleksander Kvitashvili of Georgia as health minister. Each was granted Ukrainian citizenship by presidential decree and joined a 19-member Cabinet, of which 15 percent is foreigners. In May, Poroshenko appointed the fiercely anti-Russian former Georgian leader, Mikheil Saakashvili, as governor of the strategic Odessa region. Back in Georgia, a chief prosecutor had indicted Saakashvili on the violent crackdown of peaceful demonstrators in 2007 among other charges. The International Prosecution Advisory Panel approved the indictment. As of August, Interpol refused to issue a warrant for the former Georgian president.
