If you see liberal democracy as a mere handmaiden of capitalism, then it is not surprising that you would oppose a project like the European Union which was inaugurated as the ultimate guarantor of liberal democracy. Liberal democracy precedes the left and justifies its existence. If I have to choose between liberal democracy and the left, I would choose liberal democracy every time.
Liberal democracy was the goal of the Maidan movement in Ukraine and if this month's presidential elections in Ukraine go forward, that is exactly what they will get. That is why Ukraine is casting its lot with Europe -- liberal democracy is inherently attractive and worth almost any price.
It is not in the interest of any American or any believer in a more equal world for the European Union to be laid low, but that is the project of Vladimir Putin, who is the leader of fascist forces properly understood in the world today. Putin is gambling that Ukraine is the fulcrum which can break the European Union apart. I wrote this diary so that Kossacks' attention would be drawn to this essay:
http://www.newrepublic.com/...
Someday, perhaps in the winter of 2018, I intend to visit all the places in Ukraine that have been in the news this year -- Kiev, Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk -- wearing my knit cap with "CIA" emblazoned on the front. If I come back alive, I'll write a diary about the experience.