In Silicon Valley on February 19, 2014, the day after the protests broke out in Kiev, Ukrainian American WhatsApp founder Jan Koum signed a $19 billion deal to sell his company to Facebook. For Ukraine, that same $19 billion would have been the answer to its short-term bond, debt and gas bills.

The fact that Ukraine's economic lifeline could be equal in cost to the purchase of a mobile messaging app--created by a Ukrainian emigrant--exemplifies how much potential Ukraine has an d how badly that potential was being squandered under Ukraine's prior, Russian-model government. [...]