Ukraine's Political Crisis and U.S. Policy Issues

Abstract

In 2004, many observers believed that Ukraine was at a key period in its transition that could shape its geopolitical orientation for years to come, in part due to presidential elections held on October 31, November 21, and December 26, 2004 In their view, Ukraine could move closer to integration in Euro-Atlantic institutions, real democracy and the rule of law, and a genuine free market economy, or it could move toward a Russian sphere of influence with "managed democracy" and an oligarchic economy. For the past decade, Ukraine's political scene had been dominated by President Leonid Kuchma and the oligarchic "clans" (regionally based groups of powerful politicians and businessmen) that have supported him. The oligarchs chose Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych as their candidate to succeed Kuchma as President. The chief opposition candidate, former Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko, was a pro-reform, pro-Western figure seen by many observers as a man of high personal integrity.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 01, 2005
Accession Number
ADA473496

Entities

People

  • Steven Woehrel

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Commerce
  • Department Of State
  • European Union
  • Foreign Relations
  • Governments
  • International Relations
  • Law
  • Market Economy
  • Markets
  • Military Education
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Security
  • Standards
  • Supreme Court
  • Training
  • United States

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • International Relations and Conflict Resolution