Understanding Ukrainian Politics Power Politics And Institutional Design

Ukraine made headlines around the world during the winter of 2004-05 as the colorful banners of the Orange Revolution unfurled against the snowy backdrop of Kyiv, signaling the bright promise of democratic rebirth. But is that what is really happening in Ukraine? In the early post-Soviet period, Ukraine appeared to be firmly on the path to democracy. The peaceful transfer of power from Leonid Kravchuk to Leonid Kuchma in the election of 1994, followed by the adoption of a western-style democratic constitution in 1996, seemed to complete the picture. But the Kuchma presidency was soon clouded by dark rumors of corruption and even political murder, and by 2004 the country was in full-blown political crisis. A three-stage presidential contest was ultimately won by Viktor Yushchenko, who took office in 2005 and appointed Yulia Tymoshenko as premier, but the turmoil was far from over. The new government quickly faltered and splintered. This introduction to Ukrainian politics looks beyond these dramatic events and compelling personalities to identify the actual play of power in Ukraine and the operation of its political system. The author seeks to explain how it is that, after each new beginning, power politics has trumped democratic institution-building in Ukraine, as in so many other post-Soviet states. What is really at work here, and how can Ukraine break the cycle of hope and disillusionment?

Ukraine: State and Nation Building explores the transformation of Soviet Ukraine into an independent state and examines the new elites and their role in the state building process, as well as other attributes of the modern nation-state such as borders, symbols, myths and national histories. Extensive primary sources and interviews with leading members of Ukranian elites, show that state building is an integral part of the transition process and cannot be divorced from democratization and the establishment of a market economy.

The first truly student-oriented text on this subject, INTERNATIONAL POLITICS: POWER AND PURPOSE IN GLOBAL AFFAIRS, Brief Edition, is a new introduction to the study of world politics. Paul d’Anieri’s cohesive pedagogical framework presents the study of international politics as a series of intellectual puzzles and policy problems that help students make the connection between power and purpose, continuity and change, emerging problems and traditional ones. This brief edition allows students to use d’Anieri’s framework in a manageable way. Important Notice: Media content referenced within the product description or the product text may not be available in the ebook version.

Student-oriented and contemporary, INTERNATIONAL POLITICS: POWER AND PURPOSE IN GLOBAL AFFAIRS introduces the study of international relations in a clear, accessible style, along with engaging concepts and analytical tools for students and a fully developed pedagogical program for instructors. Important Notice: Media content referenced within the product description or the product text may not be available in the ebook version.

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS: POWER AND PURPOSE IN GLOBAL AFFAIRS, 4th Edition, helps you make the connection between analytical theories and real-world issues and events. The focus on power and purpose engages both the goals that actors have in international politics, and the ways they have to achieve them. Thought-provoking case studies and features on history, policy, and geography let you see the world from multiple perspectives, while critical-thinking questions for each feature ask you to examine what you have learned. The Connection to You boxes show how international politics directly affects the lives of individuals, and how individuals can influence international politics. Important Notice: Media content referenced within the product description or the product text may not be available in the ebook version.

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS: POWER AND PURPOSE IN GLOBAL AFFAIRS, 4th Edition, is a highly engaging introduction to the study of world politics. Author Paul D'Anieri uses the theme of Power and Purpose to examine five paradigms of international relations theory and to connect the scholarly analysis of international politics to policy problems and contemporary affairs. A cohesive pedagogical framework presents the study of international politics as a series of intellectual puzzles and policy problems and helps students make the connections between theory and policy; between history and the present; and between ideals and constraints. The author also addresses common student deficiencies in history, policy, and geography through case studies of real-world events, and emphasizes that a better understanding of international relations can often be gained by examining problems from multiple approaches.

An attempt to assess the validity of current concerns regarding this country's stability and to analyze the factors that have influenced and will continue to influence the domestic political and socioeconomic situation in Ukraine. Contents: the issue of stability; the economy; social stability; ethnic tensions; centrifugal trends; civil society and political stability; Russian-Ukrainian relations; the role of the military; some conclusions; and developments for regional security. Extensive references. Map.

The remarkable popular protest in Kiev and across Ukraine following the cooked presidential election of November 2004 has transformed the politics of eastern Europe. Andrew Wilson witnessed the events firsthand and here looks behind the headlines to ascertain what really happened and how it will affect the future of the region. It is a dramatic story: an outgoing president implicated via secret tape-recordings in corruption and murder; a shadowy world of political cheats and manipulators; the massive covert involvement of Putin’s Russia; the poisoning of the opposition challenger; and finally the mass protest of half a million Ukrainians that forced a second poll and the victory of Viktor Yushchenko. As well as giving an account of the election and its aftermath, the book examines the broader implications of the Orange Revolution and of Russia’s serious miscalculation of its level of influence. It explores the likely chain reaction in Moldova, Belarus, and the nervous autocracies of the Caucasus, and points to a historical transformation of the geopolitics of Eurasia.