Ukraine: The Maidan and Beyond

June 16, 2014
01:00 pm - 03:00 pm

“Ukraine: The Maidan and Beyond”

Sponsored by the International Forum for Democratic Studies and the Journal of Democracy

 

Featuring

  • Anders Åslund, Peterson Institute for International Economics
  • Nadia Diuk, National Endowment for Democracy
  • Serhiy Kudelia, Baylor University
  • Lucan Way, University of Toronto

moderated by

When and Where

Monday, July 14, 2014
12:00–2:00 p.m.

1025 F. Street, N.W., Suite 800, Washington, D.C. 20004

About the Event

 

During the past year, the most dramatic and significant events for the fate of democracy around the world have taken place in Ukraine. In a period of only six months, Ukraine experienced a “People Power” revolution, the ouster of an authoritarian (though freely elected) president, the annexation of part of its territory, a continuing military clash with separatists in two of its eastern regions, and the election of a new president. Moreover, amid the chaos of separatist unrest, its new president is faced with the task of making good on his promises to end corruption, restore a battered economy, and implement closer relations with the European Union. If all that were not difficult enough, Ukraine is caught in the midst of an intensified geopolitical struggle between East and West that some have likened to a revival of the Cold War.

The July 2014 issue of the Journal of Democracy features a cluster of eight articles on Ukraine. During the panel, four of the contributors elaborated on the subjects discussed in their articles. Serhiy Kudelia analyzed the evolution of Ukraine’s political system during the past four years and why it led to the downfall of President Viktor Yanukovych (2010-2014); Lucan Way assessed the role that civil society played in bringing down Yanukovych and the challenges that it will now face with Ukraine’s future as a country under threat; Anders Aslund examined the “endemic corruption” that has long plagued Ukraine and suggested how the new government can rebuild the country’s economy; and Nadia Diuk considered the longer-term significance of the Maidan Revolution—its impact on Ukraine’s evolving political culture and national identity and what this may mean for the country’s future democratic prospects.

About the Speakers

Anders Åslund is senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, D.C. His books include How Ukraine Became a Market Economy and Democracy (2009).

Nadia Diuk is vice president for programs on Africa, Latin America, Europe, and Eurasia at the National Endowment for Democracy. She has recently visited Ukraine numerous times, including in May 2014 to observe the presidential election.

Serhiy Kudelia is assistant professor of political science at Baylor University. He publishes widely on post-Soviet and postcommunist affairs and is a coauthor of The Strategy of Campaigning: Lessons from Ronald Reagan and Boris Yeltsin (2008).

Lucan Way is associate professor of political science at the University of Toronto. He is the author (with Steven Levitsky) of Competitive Authoritarianism: Hybrid Regimes after the Cold War (2010), and is completing a book to be titled Pluralism by Default: Weak Autocrats and the Rise of Competitive Politics.

Marc F. Plattner is founding coeditor of the Journal of Democracy, vice president for research and studies at the National Endowment for Democracy, and co-chair of the research council of the International Forum for Democratic Studies.

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