Section: News & Summaries

      Only Presidential Leadership Can Avert Ukraine’s Perfect Storm
      Feb03

      Only Presidential Leadership Can Avert Ukraine’s Perfect Storm

      The February 3 resignation of Ukraine’s Economy Minister Aivaras Abromavicius is a signal that the country’s efforts to dramatically reduce corruption and rent-seeking are meeting with serious resistance.The resignation also exposes how Ukraine’s political system works. Just as in established democracies, technocrats and experts...

      Russian Propaganda in Ukraine: Fighting Phantoms
      Feb03

      Russian Propaganda in Ukraine: Fighting Phantoms

      For Ukrainians, the war in eastern Ukraine has become an everyday reality. Only two years ago, though, no one in the country believed war was possible—and certainly no one expected that propaganda would be one of its main weapons.Since Ukraine’s independence in 1991, little attention was paid to building a system that would ensure the...

      Thanks But No Thanks, Mr. Inozemtsev: A Response from Kyiv
      Feb02

      Thanks But No Thanks, Mr. Inozemtsev: A Response from Kyiv

      What is wrong with Vladislav Inozemtsev’s recent opinion piece on how to help Ukraine?The problem with his article is not his advice itself, as flawed as it is, but the logic on which it is built. He uses the logic of imperialism, of an authoritarian state, of conspiracy theorists for whom the world is a chessboard and a powerful few are...

      The Future of Mykolayiv, the Future of Ukraine
      Feb01

      The Future of Mykolayiv, the Future of Ukraine

      In many ways, the problems facing the city of Mykolayiv since the October 2015 local elections are a microcosm of the challenges facing Ukraine’s national leaders. The new mayor, with a strong track record of engaging with civil society on anti-corruption efforts and a fresh face to city politics, faces huge obstacles from old faces who...

      Germany and Europe’s Security: Normalisation is Overdue
      Jan30

      Germany and Europe’s Security: Normalisation is Overdue

      Germany has gradually assumed an increasing share of European leadership in recent years. Now it needs to take more responsibility for the Continent’s security. Europe’s post-Cold War order feels increasingly under siege. The embers of the Eurozone crisis still smoulder quietly in Greece, and its fallout stifles economic growth and...

      U.S. Ambassador Pyatt and Commander of U.S. SpecOps Command Europe visited Ukraine Special Ops Forces at Khmelnitsky
      Jan28

      U.S. Ambassador Pyatt and Commander of U.S. SpecOps Command Europe visited Ukraine Special Ops Forces at Khmelnitsky

      U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt joined Maj. Gen. Gregory J. Lengyel, Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR), visited Khmelnytskyi, where U.S. forces from the 10th Special Forces Group are training Ukrainian special operations forces as part of the Joint Multinational Training Group – Ukraine (JMTG-U) During...

      In Ukraine, Putin Tries to Cash In Before Luck Runs Out
      Jan27

      In Ukraine, Putin Tries to Cash In Before Luck Runs Out

      Ukraine has become the object of high-stakes diplomacy. This does not mean that fighting has stopped—quite the opposite. Russian forces continue to launch probes and violate the cease-fire agreement; they have substantially reinforced themselves, as have the Ukrainian forces arrayed against them. Nevertheless, a major diplomatic campaign is...

      Making Sense of Minsk: Decentralization, Special Status, and Federalism
      Jan27

      Making Sense of Minsk: Decentralization, Special Status, and Federalism

      Decentralization, special status, and federalism. These terms are three different things, although they are often mistakenly substituted one for another, and some people think one term means another in Ukraine today.The decentralization debate is heating up again as Ukraine faces a legal deadline to pass a constitutional amendment that gives the...

      Not So Fast, Mr. Inozemtsov
      Jan26

      Not So Fast, Mr. Inozemtsov

      Responding to an article that Ambassadors Steven Pifer, William Taylor, and I wrote in The New York Times advocating greater US and EU assistance to Ukraine, Vladislav Inozemtsov wrote a provocative article January 19 in which he makes the case that Kyiv should cede the occupied territories of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR), Luhansk...

      Ukrainians Need to Stop Waiting for Their White Knight
      Jan25

      Ukrainians Need to Stop Waiting for Their White Knight

      My source leaned forward and said with a muffled voice: “The latest news is that grey cardinal Igor Kononenko’s men have been placed inside Ukrainian Railways, and Member of Parliament Sergei Fayermak of the People’s Front is now in charge of all the seaports.” This conversation with a government insider took place in the...