March 16, 2014 marks the day when the people of Crimea go to the voting booths to decide whether they will be part of Ukraine or part of Russia. While the referendum is no doubt important to people living in Crimea, I for one remain highly skeptical that the results will actually be the ultimate arbiter on the territorial decisions made about Crimea. The outside players,...
- Опубликовано:
- 17.03.2014 01:24:00
... the past it has warned Russia about how it acted with Chechnya, China, Venezuela, Iran, and Syria, but ultimately did nothing. It is now warning Russia that ‘there will be costs’ if it acts inappropriately in Crimea and onward with greater Ukraine. One might forgive Russia if it reacts to such warnings with a giant foreign policy yawn. Let us look briefly at Ukraine: Yanukovych was a thug. But he was a thug popularly elected in his own country. But he was elected via means that were clearly ...
- Опубликовано:
- 15.03.2014 18:45:00
... the crisis in Crimea and the possibility of a worsening situation remains high as the new Ukrainian Prime Minister heads to Washington DC while local Crimean authorities, with Russian support, promise to hold a referendum on basically seceding from Ukraine and rejoining the Russian Federation. Many respected and accomplished voices have written eloquently on both sides of this dilemma, testifying to the complexity of the situation and affirming how little global affairs ultimately have to do with ...
- Опубликовано:
- 13.03.2014 21:07:00
... Transatlantic one is a community of values. That despite all strains, spooks, our inability to live up to our very expectations, our heed of European values unite us. It is a strong acknowledgement of the sacrifice the people of the Maidan made for these. Ukraine now has an opportunity to join a Europe, and an America, that stand united.
As Britain was first to declare its readiness ‘with a chequebook’ to help ‘rebuild’ Ukraine and, most urgently, avoid a default, it became clear ...
- Опубликовано:
- 25.02.2014 14:39:00
... alleged stability in relation to other models of the world are very popular in Russia. However, the realists are rather indifferent to the internal structure of a state. Instead, they tend to see the state as a unit. In my opinion, the last events in Ukraine are the powerful evidence for the fallacy of this approach.
Why is the bipolar world the most stable one? We should add first: "than multi- and unipolar systems". Indeed, the multipolarity implicates a bigger uncertainty about intentions ...
- Опубликовано:
- 24.02.2014 19:30:00
Believe the protest leader's story or not, the response of Ukraine's authorities is suspicious
Dmytro Bulatov, leader of AvtoMaidan, the motor wing of the Euromaidan protests, appeared on 30 January after 8 days in the dark. He claimed he had been kidnapped and severely tortured, then dumped in a forest ...
- Опубликовано:
- 03.02.2014 15:41:00
In the recent days, the post-Soviet world (and beyond) has been transfixed by Ukraine's contentious politics. Is it a beginning of the revolution, which will oust Yanukovych? Or is it a prelude to a wide-scale repression by the "family"? There is no doubt that what is happening in Kiev is about democracy--the ...
- Опубликовано:
- 23.01.2014 10:23:00
... streets on 21 November 2004. Case of 2013 was different, because there was no one definite event, which would cause general dissatisfaction and take people to the streets. The first wave of people marched to the streets after the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted a resolution to suspend preparations for signing the Association Agreement. [1] However, these protests quickly lost their power and only small groups of protesters prevailed on the main square. The second wave of rallies and marches erupted ...
- Опубликовано:
- 21.01.2014 16:30:00
Author: Artyom Malgin, PhD in Political Science, Vice-Rector of MGIMO University. Judging by the latest developments in Ukraine, foreign policy towards Europe has become a major element of Russian-Ukrainian relations, at the same time affecting Kiev's international priorities and, according to some observers, its domestic politics. And the role of Europe is definitely ...
- Опубликовано:
- 02.01.2014 12:12:00
It might seem that, Ukraine having decided not to sign a deal with the EU last week in Vilnius, the Union lost the integration contest to Russia. But developments seem to be on the way. In light of the happenings of the past few days, Europe may come out of this better than ...
- Опубликовано:
- 05.12.2013 03:42:00
For the past decade Ukraine has been in the midst of a political tussle, or metaphorically a 'Geopolitical Football Championship'. Though, in all fairness, it is hard to see it as a unified team. As it appears more like a political trophy for two major sides....
- Опубликовано:
- 25.10.2013 20:32:00
... candidates, but also with the system itself. [5]
What does international practice show? “None of the above” is not a common praxis and you would hardly look for parallels between countries that are using it. Countries like India, Greece, Ukraine (recently abolished in 2012), Columbia, Bangladesh, Nevada (U.S. state) offer(ed) this choice on their ballots, however they differ widely in the legal proceedings after the election. A proceeding after the elections is, in my opinion, the most ...
- Опубликовано:
- 25.10.2013 10:42:00
... Russo-Ukrainian border, following the Kremlin's issuance of a "Marry me or else" ultimatum to Kiev — in case the latter finalizes its association agreement with the European Union. Unequivocal in its intent, Russia has been pressurizing Ukraine into opting for Eurasian integration in lieu of forging closer ties with Europe. And while the two Slavic countries widely benefit from trade and cultural ties between each other, Russia’s political relationship with Ukraine has been deteriorating ...
- Опубликовано:
- 26.08.2013 16:00:00
Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) is seen as one of the most important carrots for countries of the Eastern Partnership. Ukraine’s negotiations with the EU over the Association Agreement, which contains the DCFTA, were concluded at the turn of the year 2011. On the opposite shore stands the offer of Customs Union, consisting of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. In the ...
- Опубликовано:
- 20.03.2013 13:40:00
The Eastern Partnership programme is stalling, even though on February 25 officials from the EU and Ukraine reaffirmed their joint commitment to sign an Association Agreement in November. President Yanukovych, despite his repeated promises, is reluctant to carry out substantial reforms to Ukraine’s judicial and political systems. The EU, on the ...
- Опубликовано:
- 05.03.2013 18:08:00
The Eastern Partnership is rather fresh policy of the European Union to structure and improve political and economic relations with six post-Soviet states: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. All of these states are in the closest vicinity of the Russian Federation. What were its reactions in the past and what can we expect in the future?
On 25 February 2013, only few days ago, another EU-Ukraine summit took place in Brussels. Although ...
- Опубликовано:
- 01.03.2013 10:52:00
Ukraine’s foreign policy towards its Eastern and Western neighbours could ultimately lead to broader international consequences that one would expect. Its decision to sign the Association agreement with the European Union or joining the Customs ...
- Опубликовано:
- 15.02.2013 13:13:00