The whole history of Ukrainian reforms is a battle with monopolies.

One can argue for a long time about what makes Russia - Russia and every new answer will complement the previous one. But the alpha and omega of any description will be a monopoly - in politics and economy, decision-making and determining the future.

And it is no coincidence that the Russian polyphony of the 90s came at a time when hydrocarbons were not worth much, writes Pavel Kazarin for UE. - The Kremlin managed to rebuild the vertical only when oil prices saved Moscow from the need to compete.

In fact, Russia's "zero" has turned into an oil and gas pipe, and everything else - into the economic polyps on it. Money was enough to contain inefficiency. To prolong her life on the ventilator. To attach to the budget welf not only state employees, but also private business. Which was possible thanks to the same pipe. He either directly served it, or served those who earned on it at least some money.

And the main pride of pre-war Ukraine - the oligopoly - was possible only because Ukraine did not have a single meaningful raw material. Each export was inadequate, in order to contain everyone and everyone. So instead of a single vertical, several. Which, in addition, competed for influence, from which everything was born, which the country was proud of. Parliament. mass media. Competitive decision-making centers.

The political monopoly of the Russian model was impossible in Ukraine also because there was no monopoly on money in the country. And it was this competition, in the final analysis, that complemented the ideological diversity of Ukraine. Including she did not allow Yanukovich to retain power. And she also allowed the country not to collapse into institutional oblivion after his flight. Because apart from the main "alpha-dog" in the country there were others who had their own interests. Which at one time were consonant with the interests of the Maidan. Both of them needed Ukraine.

The winter of 2013 and the whole of the 2014 were the time of situational coincidence of interests. When part of the oligarchs and indifferent Ukrainians found themselves on one side of the barricade. When, for some and others, the preservation of the country became a common goal. But the fight against a common enemy - Yanukovych or the Kremlin - does not mean the identity of tasks. Because Ukraine wanted the Maidan to change. Those same, which certainly do not coincide with the interests of "fat cats".

All the struggle for reform is a struggle against monopolies. Moreover, economic monopolies give birth to political monopolies: the loyalty of dependent people determines their choice in election booths. Therefore, the beneficiaries of monopolies try to torpedo reforms.

The strength of Ukrainian civil society is that several oligarchic dragons.

The weakness is that they are dragons after all. And the role of the sword-kladentsa perform the memorandum of the West, who agree to feed the dragon only in the case of his transition to a vegetarian diet. Each new tranche comes only in the event that the predator agrees to reduce appetites and habitat.

All that Ukraine offers the West is a rejection of paternalism. Splitting of interests. Creating competition and competition. The system of checks and balances is the one that turns power and economy into a multi-entry and multi-level system. When none of the interest groups has a monopoly on a political switch.

The fewer citizens remain on the wolf - state or oligarchic - the higher the level of political competition.

The more Ukrainians will have economic motivation, the more conscious will be their political choice. Therefore, small business, private entrepreneurship, IT, farming is the recipe for the future. And any domination of the state and monopolies in the economy means the preservation of poverty.

The same story about the land market is just one more step towards the acquisition of subjectivity by the average person. The very one that is born from the understanding of personal gain. Only economic motivation serves as an excuse for the voter to get into the pre-election programs - and create a request for responsibility.

If it were not for the war, it would all be impossible. It was the war that destroyed the old matrix. The very one in which Kiev alternately borrowed money from Moscow and Brussels - but refused to fulfill its obligations, frightening to flee to another camp. And now it is impossible to take money from the Russian Federation - and the elites are forced to ask for loans from the EU, agreeing to autoclassing.

However, this does not mean that they will not torpedo the changes. That they will not try to prescribe in the new rules an exception for themselves. That they will not create artificial paternalists who in the newsletter are looking for handouts. But the old system - when the country once in four years sacrificed its future on electoral altars - is gradually losing ground.

Actually, the formula for the future is simple. Competition, fragmentation of interests and the acquisition of economic motivation by people. Monopoly, concentration and paternalism are evil.

This formula is quite enough to understand on which side of the barricades is each. Recipes of the future have already been invented. As well as scenarios of withering. And the war only increases the rates.

In future textbooks of the history of Ukraine there will be either a description of the success, or these textbooks will not be at all.

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