1991 1 AUGUSTUS
President G.H.W. Bush in Kiev 2
And yet freedom is not the same as independence
And yet freedom is not the same as independence. Americans will not support those who seek independence in order to replace a far-off tyranny with a local despotism. They will not aid those who promote a suicidal nationalism based upon ethnic hatred.
We will support those who want to build democracy. And by democracy, we mean a system of government in which people may vie openly for the hearts and yes, the votes of the public. We mean a system of government that derives its just power from the consent of the governed, that retains its legitimacy by controlling its appetite for power. For years, you had elections with ballots, but you did not enjoy democracy. And now, democracy has begun to set firm roots in Soviet soil.
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