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352. Berlin's Russia Challenge
- Author:
- Angela Stent
- Publication Date:
- 04-2007
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Insight Turkey
- Institution:
- SETA Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research
- Abstract:
- Russia has found an innovative way to ring in the New Year with its European partners: threatening to cut off energy supplies. At the beginning of 2006, it was gas exports through Ukraine; in January 2007, it was oil supplies through Belarus. Although President Lukashenko backed down and oil again flowed to Europe, the actions of pipeline monopoly Transneft –and President Putin's failure to inform Germany about the impending cutoff– presented German Chancellor Angela Merkel with an unwelcome start to Germany's EU presidency.
- Topic:
- Oil
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Europe, Ukraine, Germany, and Berlin
353. The New Eastern Europe: Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova
- Author:
- Daniel Hamilton and Gerhard Mangott
- Publication Date:
- 01-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Center for Transatlantic Relations
- Abstract:
- The nations of Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova are the new Eastern Europe—sandwiched between a larger European Union and a resurgent Russia. Historically the object of fluid and volatile geopolitical shifts, none has ever existed as a state within its current borders, and none enjoys consensus on its respective national identity. All are located along key military, transportation and energy corridors linking Europe to Eurasia. Their problems—infectious diseases, organized crime, drug and human trafficking, pollution and illegal migration—directly spill over into the EU. Their success could have a beneficial impact on the development of democracy, pluralism and the rule of law throughout the post-Soviet space. Their future will help shape Russia's own destiny and ultimately determine where Europe ends.
- Topic:
- Democratization, Migration, and Regional Cooperation
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Europe, and Ukraine
354. Public Opinion in Ukraine Prior to the 2007 Rada Elections
- Author:
- Rakesh Sharma, Kathleen Holzwart, and Rola Abdul-latif
- Publication Date:
- 10-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Academy of Political Science
- Abstract:
- This is the 15th public opinion poll conducted in Ukraine by IFES. This report details findings from the latest IFES survey in Ukraine and references findings from earlier surveys done in Ukraine. The fieldwork was conducted from August 28 – September 11, 2007 with 1265 respondents throughout Ukraine. This sample comprised a national sample of 1,200 respondents and an over-sample of 65 respondents in Kyiv. The data has been weighted by region, age, and gender to be nationally representative for the adult (18+) population of Ukraine. The margin of error for a sample of this size is plus/minus 2.75%. The fieldwork and data processing for the survey were conducted by GfK Ukraine, based in Kyiv. Funding for the survey was provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
- Topic:
- Democratization and Government
- Political Geography:
- United States, Europe, Ukraine, and Asia
355. Corruption, Democracy, and Investment in Ukraine
- Author:
- Adrian Karatnycky and Jan Neutze
- Publication Date:
- 10-2007
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- Ukraine is facing a considerable challenge from corruption, which our research showed is present in nearly all levels of government and politics, the judiciary, and business. It is the view of the Task Force that corruption has become so severe that it has the potential to threaten Ukraine's political and economic stability as well as the country's European Union membership aspirations. While Ukraine has made progress since the Orange Revolution in areas such as developing an independent media and a more active civil society, its political leaders have failed to fulfi ll the core promise of the Revolution by effectively addressing corruption. Instead, our research revealed that public suspicions about corruption at the highest reaches of political power are widespread in Ukraine.
- Topic:
- Corruption, Democratization, Government, and Political Economy
- Political Geography:
- Ukraine and Eastern Europe
356. UKRAINE AND NATO: The Policy and Practice of Co-operating with the Euro-Atlantic Security Community
- Author:
- Nienke de Deugd
- Publication Date:
- 06-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Centre for European Security Studies
- Abstract:
- The opening lines of the national anthem of Ukraine are a reflection of the country's history. For much of its past, Ukraine was divided between, and subjected by, such powerful neighbours as the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Habsburg Empire, Poland, the Russian Empire and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). It was only on 24 August 1991, amidst the epochal events that characterised the end of the Cold War, that the country regained its independence.
- Topic:
- NATO and Cold War
- Political Geography:
- Ukraine and Asia
357. Ukraine's Military Between East and West
- Author:
- Marybeth Peterson Ulrich
- Publication Date:
- 05-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College
- Abstract:
- Ukraine's geopolitical location positioning it firmly between North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies to the west and Russia to the east has demanded that its foreign and security policy take into account its interests in the east and the west. The pro-reform forces in power since the Orange Revolution would like to move Ukraine squarely into the Euro-Atlantic community with only limited deference to Russia in matters where Ukrainian dependency remains unavoidable. Political forces favoring a more neutral stance between east and west or openly in favor of leaning eastward remain formidable. Russia's astute deployment of its national instruments of power in support of these forces will loom large into the indefinite future.
- Topic:
- Security, Democratization, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Ukraine
358. What should the Community of Democratic Choice do?
- Author:
- Michael Emerson
- Publication Date:
- 04-2006
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Centre for European Policy Studies
- Abstract:
- In August 2005, President Saakashvili of Georgia and President Yushchenko of Ukraine met at Borjomi, Georgia, and decided to launch an initiative to promote democracy among a community of like-minded states of Central and Eastern Europe. This led to a meeting in Kyiv on 2 December 2005, of a wider group of countries of the Baltic-Black-Caspian Sea region, which adopted a declaration announcing the creation of a Community of Democratic Choice (CDC) as a governmental and non-governmental forum to promote the strengthening of democracy, human rights and civil society. The next meeting of the CDC will take place as a Baltic and Black Sea Summit in Vilnius in May 2006.
- Topic:
- Democratization, Politics, and Regional Cooperation
- Political Geography:
- Ukraine, Eastern Europe, and Georgia
359. Security Implications of Russian Energy Policies
- Author:
- Keith C. Smith
- Publication Date:
- 01-2006
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Centre for European Policy Studies
- Abstract:
- Russia's tough stance towards Ukraine on natural gas prices was viewed by many in Europe and the United States as raising new issues concerning Russia's foreign economic policies and growing European and US dependency on energy imports. For many new EU member states and for countries such as Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova, however, this is an old problem. Central European attempts to flag the issue in Western capitals have until now been brushed aside. The rapid approval by the EU Commission of the Russian-German undersea gas pipeline project was a mistake. The concerns of the Central Europeans should have been examined in more detail. Western governments would also be wise to analyse more closely the political and security implications of Russia's energy policies.
- Topic:
- Security, Foreign Policy, and Energy Policy
- Political Geography:
- Russia, United States, Europe, Ukraine, Asia, and Germany
360. China's Social Unrest: The Story Behind the Stories
- Author:
- Albert Kiedel
- Publication Date:
- 09-2006
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Abstract:
- China is confronting widespread violent and even deadly social unrest, raising Communist Party alarms about national security. Some observers speculate that unrest could undermine China's national leadership, as it did in the Ukraine and the Philippines. Some U.S. policy makers might welcome unrest in China as a path to democracy and “freedom.” But rather than an opportunity to transform China's political order, China's social unrest should be understood as the unavoidable side effects—worsened by local corruption—of successful market reforms and expanded economic and social choice. Managing this unrest humanely requires accelerated reform of legal and social institutions with special attention to corruption. More violence would generate more suffering, potentially destabilizing East Asia and harming U.S. interests. The United States should encourage China to strengthen its social reconciliation capabilities, without making electoral political reform a prerequisite for intensifying engagement across the board.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Development, and Economics
- Political Geography:
- United States, China, Ukraine, East Asia, and Asia