Security and Non-proliferation, issue 3(21)

Security and Non-proliferation, issue 3(21) pdf
Corruption factor

According to Ukrainian legislation corruption is "an activity of persons, authorized to execute State's function, aiming at illegal use of given to them authorities to receive material goods, services, privileges or other benefits".

The official website of President of Ukraine presents recent (April 2007) Viktor Yushchenko's statement addressing combating corruption: "Passivity of law enforcement bodies in combating corruption and the lack of due procuracy supervision over observation of anti-corruption legislation in the State lead to a steady increase in its scale, threats to national security and stability of democratic institutions".
And the majority of Ukrainians, perhaps, agree with this evaluation. Although, on the other hand, we have become accustomed to live in a poisoned atmosphere of the corrupted state so that frequently find ourselves at a deadlock when resolving our living problems if we don't know how to "approach" to one or another person in a state body which has to address our problem.

At the moment the Ukrainian nation is writing a new history of Ukraine but, unfortunately, the young generation of Ukrainians whose role in this process will steadily grow, is subject to harmful influence of corruption. The Ukrainian youth faces this negative phenomenon from the very beginning of their lives. And if decisive measures are not undertaken by the State to considerably reduce the level of corruption, and these measures are not supported by sound forces of the Ukrainian society we can also lose this generation, since the majority of young people will believe that serious successes can be only achieved through money and other "stimulation" of people gird with power.

In terms of corruption Ukraine is being located at the critical line. The high level of corruption is also dangerous because under the circumstances it is impossible to efficiently resolve problems Ukrainian society faces. That is why a cardinal reconstruction of our life, programs and plans already launched and those to be launched in the future require, first of all, a considerable reduction of corruption, a curb of corruption in all spheres of Ukrainian state's vital activities. Otherwise, all plans, all European and Euroatlantic aspirations, and, ultimately, all Ukrainian people's hopes of decent life are doomed to failure.

Our strategic and other partners in the international scene are well aware of this situation. They are ready to provide assistance to Ukraine in its efforts to continue democratic reforms. At the same time they understand that due to the given posture of the state apparatus a considerable part of funds within frameworks of different assistance programs and projects will make rich corrupted civil servants and politics. And that is the reason of why, for example, a substantial growth of assistance from the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation is stipulated with successful implementation of Anti-corruption Threshold Program resulted in enhancing of civil society capabilities to counteract corruption in its various displays.

It is obvious that power industry, including nuclear power industry, is especially attractive to corrupted public servants, and this is resulted in additional risks in terms of nuclear terrorism threats and nuclear proliferation. The bitter experience gained worldwide shows that terrorists and organized crime can often perform their plans successfully relying upon corrupted bureaucrats and law enforcement officers. This is one of the reasons of why within the Global Partnership cooperation the Ukrainian side proposed the anti-corruption project, and this proposal kindled the interest of the U.S. Department of State as a coordinator of projects on combating nuclear smuggling. The law enforcement bodies and the State Customs Service of Ukraine have expressed their readiness to participate in such a project and presented their visions of the current situation in Ukraine, as well as forms and methods of future anti-corruption activities.

Such aspirations to cooperate produce expectations of a positive result. At the same time we have to be realistic – it is impossible to fully overcome corruption, and this problem will exist until a state apparatus and bureaucracy exist. Nevertheless, it is necessary to do our best to tussle with this evil and restrain it as well as to put in bureaucrats' minds what they must fear at their ends. In this connection the editorial board decided to put on this issue's cover Gustave Doré's illustration for the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri in which the author put the bribe takers in the eights (next-to-last) circle of Hell.
Editorial Board