OSW Commentary
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
The Ukrainian Weekly, 2020
INSIDE: l State in a Smartphone app is launched – page 3 l ‘Peripheral Visions’ exhibit by the Yurchuks – page 11 l Community: Alberta, New York, New Jersey – pages 16-17 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association, Inc., celebrating W its 125th anniversaryEEKLY Vol. LXXXVIII No. 7 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2020 $2.00 NEWS ANALYSIS Yermak replaces Bohdan Zelenskyy, with Yermak in new role, as the head of Presidential Office emphasizes continuity in foreign policy by Bohdan Nahaylo understood that it is necessary to change the Minsk accords of 2014-2015 because KYIV – When President Volodymyr they are not working, and he sensed that Zelenskyy fired the controversial head of even “Russia is preparing to think this his Presidential Office, Andriy Bohdan, and over.” This recognition of “Minsk flexibility” replaced him with Andriy Yermak, a non- was a step forward. In his view, the staff close adviser who has become increas- achieve ment of peace remains the goal, for ingly influential in recent months, the move in the end it will be not about winners and suggested a change in style and approach in losers but “a victory for everyone.” the domestic sphere. But the appointment Turning from the Donbas to Crimea, also reaffirmed Mr. Yermak’s position as the President Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukrainian president’s chief negotiator with this issue was “even more complicated.” He the Kremlin and his stewardship over added cryptically: “But we are also working Ukraine’s foreign policy in general. on it. I cannot say more so far.” On the same day as the personnel The following day, at his first press con- change in Kyiv, Moscow confirmed that ference as head of the Presidential Office, or Dmitry Kozak had replaced Vladyslav chief of staff, Mr. -
Survey of Residents of Ukraine
Public Opinion Survey of Residents of Ukraine May 26-June 10, 2018 Methodology • The survey was conducted by Rating Group Ukraine on behalf of the International Republican Institute’s Center for Insights in Survey Research. • The survey was conducted throughout Ukraine (except for the occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas) from May 26–June 10, 2018, through face-to-face interviews at respondents’ homes. • The sample consisted of 2,400 permanent residents of Ukraine aged 18 and older and eligible to vote. It is representative of the general population by gender, age, region, and settlement size. The distribution of population by regions and settlements is based on statistical data of the Central Election Commission from the 2014 parliamentary elections, and the distribution of population by age and gender is based on data from the State Statistics Committee of Ukraine from January 1, 2017. • A multi-stage probability sampling method was used with the random route and next birthday methods for respondent selection. • Stage One: The territory of Ukraine was split into 25 administrative regions (24 regions of Ukraine and Kyiv). The survey was conducted throughout all regions of Ukraine, with the exception of the occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas. • Stage Two: The selection of settlements was based on towns and villages. Towns were grouped into subtypes according to their size: • Cities with populations of more than 1 million • Cities with populations of between 500,000-999,000 • Cities with populations of between 100,000-499,000 • Cities with populations of between 50,000-99,000 • Cities with populations of up to 50,000 • Villages Cities and villages were selected by the PPS method (probability proportional to size). -
Ukraine Election: Comedian Zelensky Wins Presidency by Landslide - BBC News
Ukraine election: Comedian Zelensky wins presidency by landslide - BBC News Menu Home Video World US & Canada UK Business Tech Science Stories World Africa Asia Australia Europe Latin America Middle East Ukraine election: Comedian Zelensky wins presidency by landslide 22 April 2019 Share Ukrainian presidential election 2019 Volodymyr Zelensky and his supporters celebrate winning Ukraine's presidential election Ukrainian comedian Volodymyr Zelensky has scored a landslide victory in the country's presidential election. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48007487[12/15/2019 9:28:06 AM] Ukraine election: Comedian Zelensky wins presidency by landslide - BBC News With nearly all ballots counted in the run-off vote, Mr Zelensky had taken more than 73% with incumbent Petro Poroshenko trailing far behind on 24%. "I will never let you down," Mr Zelensky told celebrating supporters. Russia says it wants him to show "sound judgement", "honesty" and "pragmatism" so that relations can improve. Russia backs separatists in eastern Ukraine. The comments came from Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, in a Facebook post on Monday (in Russian). He said he expected Mr Zelensky to "repeat familiar ideological formulas" that he used in the election campaign, adding: "I have no illusions on that score. "At the same time, there is a chance to improve relations with our country." Mr Poroshenko, who admitted defeat after the first exit polls were published, has said he will not be leaving politics. He told voters that Mr Zelensky, 41, was too inexperienced to stand up to Russia effectively. Mr Zelensky, a political novice, is best known for starring in a satirical television series Servant of the People, in which his character accidentally becomes Ukrainian president. -
Public Opinion Survey of Residents of Ukraine
Public Opinion Survey of Residents of Ukraine March 15-31, 2018 Methodology • The survey was conducted by Rating Group Ukraine on behalf of the International Republican Institute’s Center for Insights in Survey Research. • The survey was conducted throughout Ukraine (except for the occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas) from March 15-31, 2018, through face-to-face interviews at respondents’ homes. • The sample consisted of 2,400 permanent residents of Ukraine aged 18 and older and eligible to vote. It is representative of the general population by gender, age, region, and settlement size. The distribution of population by regions and settlements is based on statistical data of the Central Election Commission from the 2014 parliamentary elections, and the distribution of population by age and gender is based on data from the State Statistics Committee of Ukraine from January 1, 2017. • A multi-stage probability sampling method was used with the random route and next birthday methods for respondent selection. • Stage One: The territory of Ukraine was split into 25 administrative regions (24 regions of Ukraine and Kyiv). The survey was conducted throughout all regions of Ukraine, with the exception of the occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas. • Stage Two: The selection of settlements was based on towns and villages. Towns were grouped into subtypes according to their size: • Cities with population of more than 1 million • Cities with population of between 500,000-999,000 • Cities with population of between 100,000-499,000 • Cities with population of between 50,000-99,000 • Cities with population up to 50,000 • Villages Cities and villages were selected by PPS method (probability proportional to size). -
Volodymyr Zelensky: What Has Been Done in the Past Year? What’S Next?...1
Nr 14 ROCZNIK INTEGRACJI EUROPEJSKIEJ 2020 ŁUKASZ DONAJ DOI : 10.14746/rie.2020.14.6 Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań ORCID: 0000-0002-7720-1260 Volodymyr Zelensky: What has Been Done in the Past Year? What’s Next?...1 Introduction Tadeusz Iwański, an analyst from the Center for Eastern Studies, has noted that the political situation in Ukraine after the Revolution of Dignity and the ensuing Russian aggression created a peculiar social context, in which the perception of traditional politicians has dramatically changed for the worse. After the revolution, the society has been eagerly expecting a thorough recovery of the state, combined with a new quality of governance and public empowerment. However, the 2014 presidential and parliamentary elections changed little in terms of the political elite, as the most im- portant state functions remained in the hands of politicians who first emerged in the 1990s, when the oligarchic system in Ukraine was being formed. The reforms intro- duced in the first two to three years after the revolution, mainly under pressure from Western creditors and the civil society, did not meet the society’s needs. Not only did they fail to improve the quality of life, but eventually led to the emigration of some 2 million Ukrainians, which placed an additional burden on the shoulders of the old and new elites. Initiated but never completed, the painful reforms have increased po- litical volatility and sapped public trust in the political class even further. A survey by Kyiv’s Razumkov Center showed that just before the presidential elections only 23 percent of respondents trusted the president. -
June 2019 Newsnet
NewsNet News of the Association for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies June 2019 v. 59, n. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Who’s Laughing Now?: What Volodymyr Zelensky’s 2 Presidential Win May Mean for Ukraine Studies War on the Academy: The Hungarian Government’s 8 Crackdown on Research Freedom 14 2019 Research Grant Recipients Cohen-Tucker Dissertation 16 Research Fellowship Recipients 21st-Century Approaches to 18 Copyright Law 22 Affiliate Group News 24 Publications 28 Personages 29 In Memoriam 30 Institutional Member News Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) 203C Bellefield Hall, 315 S. Bellefield Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15260-6424 tel.: 412-648-9911 • fax: 412-648-9815 www.aseees.org ASEEES Staff Executive Director: Lynda Park 412-648-9788, [email protected] NewsNet Editor & Program Coordinator: Trevor Erlacher 412-648-7403, [email protected] Communications Coordinator: Mary Arnstein 412-648-9809, [email protected] Membership Coordinator: Sean Caulfield 412-648-9911, [email protected] Convention Manager: Margaret Manges 412-648-4049, [email protected] Financial Support: Roxana Palomino 412-648-4049, [email protected] Who’s Laughing Now?: WHAT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY’S PRESIDENTIAL WIN MAY MEAN FOR UKRAINE STUDIES William Jay Risch GEORGIA COLLEGE It was not supposed to happen this way in Ukraine. Comedian and entertainer Volodymyr Zelensky, a man with no political experience whatsoever, defeated incumbent President Petro Poroshenko, a prominent figure in Ukrainian politics for the past two decades. He won despite Ukraine being five years in a hybrid war with Russia that has cost at least 13,000 lives by late February 2019 and has led to as many as 1.8 million people still being registered as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) as of July 2018.1 It was not a defeat. -
Faltering Fightback: Zelensky's Piecemeal Campaign Against Ukraine's Oligarchs – European Council on Foreign Relations
POLICY BRIEF FALTERING FIGHTBACK: ZELENSKY’S PIECEMEAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST UKRAINE’S OLIGARCHS Andrew Wilson July 2021 SUMMARY Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has declared a “fightback” against oligarchs. Zelensky is motivated by worries about falling poll ratings, pressure from Russia, and a strong desire for good relations with the Biden administration. The fightback campaign has resulted in action against some oligarchs but, overall, it is incomplete. The government still needs to address reform issues in other areas, especially the judiciary, and it has an on-off relationship with the IMF because of the latter’s insistence on conditionality. The campaign has encouraged Zelensky’s tendency towards governance through informal means. This has allowed him to act speedily – but it risks letting oligarchic influence return and enabling easy reversal of reforms in the future. Introduction On 12 March this year, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, released a short appeal on YouTube called “Ukraine fights back”. He declared that he was preparing to take on those who have been undermining the country – those who have exploited Ukraine’s weaknesses in particular, including its frail rule of law. He attacked “the oligarchic class” – and named names: “[Viktor] Medvedchuk, [Ihor] Kolomoisky, [Petro] Poroshenko, [Rinat] Akhmetov, [Viktor] Pinchuk, [Dmitry] Firtash”. He proceeded to address the oligarchs directly, asking, “Are you ready to work legally and transparently?” The president went on, “Or do you want to continue to create monopolies, control the media, influence deputies and other civil servants? The first is welcome. The second ends.” Ukrainians have heard this kind of talk before. Zelensky’s predecessor, Poroshenko, also made ‘de- oligarchisation’ a policy pledge. -
OSW Commentary
OSW Commentary CENTRE FOR EASTERN STUDIES NUMBER 334 20.05.2020 www.osw.waw.pl Neither a miracle nor a disaster – President Zelensky’s first year in office Tadeusz Iwański, Sławomir Matuszak, Krzysztof Nieczypor, Piotr Żochowski 20th May marked the end of Volodymyr Zelensky first year as President of Ukraine. Thanks to the clear victory of his Servant of the People party in the snap parliamentary election held in July 2019 and the establishment of the government of Oleksiy Honcharuk the following month, Zelensky swiftly gained full power. The plan for the declared repair of the country and an end to the war in the Donbas involved the appointment of apolitical specialists for key positions in the government to immediately process legislation in the parliament and to conduct informal diplomacy. This strategy brought about certain successes. Partial organisational changes were introduced in the prosecutor’s office and courts; the constitution was amended in the area of the rights of the members of the Verkhovna Rada and the president, and a meeting – the first in three years – in the Normandy Format was held in Paris. Already before the end of 2019 a new election law was passed, a key reform in the gas sector (the unbundling of Naftogaz) was completed and in March 2019, and a breakthrough law regarding the lifting of the moratorium on the sale of agricultural land was passed. However, increasing conflicts of interests inside the parliamentary group of the Servant of the People limited the comfort of governing the country, exposing the most important weaknesses of Zelen- sky’s bloc: its lack of ideological cohesion, the lack of a clear action plan and, above all, the lack of a professional and independent staff base. -
The Ukrainian Weekly, 2020
INSIDE: l Human rights activist Raisa Rudenko dies at 80 – page 3 l Our community: Alberta and Illinois – pages 11 and 14 l Sports: gymnastics, futsal, volleyball and more – page 16 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXXXVIII No. 41 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY,OCTOBER 11, 2020 $2.00 NEWS ANALYSIS Ukraine battles massive fires In Ukraine: Heading for a fall? in Luhansk region the Parliament, nor guarantee satisfactory by Bohdan Nahaylo returns in the upcoming local elections. In Ukrainian politics, a sluggish season The disturbing feature here is that pro-Rus- has given way to another, but one that sian forces have been profiting from this promises reinvigoration, though not neces- and gaining relatively more strength than sarily of the healthy sort. others. In Ukraine there has been no noticeable One of the telling features of real democ- change in the lackadaisical approach to pol- racy in Ukraine – unlike in neighboring itics and reform, and in the general situa- Russia, or Belarus, or Kyrgyzstan – elec- tion as such. It has been largely a case of tions are genuinely free and the results are business as usual as per the lethargic respected, and independent opinion and Ukrainian variant that we have become exit polls are accurate and can be trusted. used to. The only sphere where there has The latest polling been more dynamism is in the external one, Cabinet of Ministers with two important and productive In mid-September, the Kyiv International A firefighter works on extinguishing a fire in one of the 146 hotspots in Ukraine’s east. -
The Ukrainian Weekly, 2021
Part 1 of THE YEAR IN REVIEW pages 7-15 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXXXIX No. 3 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JANUARY 17, 2021 $2.00 New twist in Sheremet murder case as audio U.S. sanctions more Ukrainians suspected recording allegedly implicates Belarusian KGB of interfering in 2020 presidential election by Mark Raczkiewycz repeated public statements to advance dis- information narratives that U.S. govern- KYIV – The U.S. Treasury Department on ment officials have engaged in corrupt January 11 sanctioned several Ukrainian dealings in Ukraine.” individuals and entities linked to a Verkhovna In a separate statement, Secretary of Rada lawmaker that a Washington intelli- State Mike Pompeo said that Mr. Derkach gence agency says is a Russian agent who “has been an active Russian agent for more allegedly attempted to influence the 2020 than a decade, maintaining close connec- U.S. presidential election. tions with Russian intelligence services.” Joining lawmaker and suspected Russian A graduate of the Soviet Union’s KGB agent Andriy Derkach, who does not belong academy, Mr. Derkach was sanctioned in to a political party, on the department’s August for “spreading claims about corrup- “Specially Designated Nationals List” is tion – including through publicising leaked Oleksandr Dubinsky, who leads the party phone calls – to undermine former Vice- Servant of the People. President Biden’s candidacy and the Mr. Dubinsky previously worked for bil- Democratic Party,” Director of the National RFE/RL lionaire oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky’s 1+1 Counterintelligence and Security Center television channel, which provided favor- A sign asking “Who killed Pavlo?” in front of the new memorial to Pavlo Sheremet in (NCSC) William Evanina said in a news Kyiv. -
C2D Working Paper Series 2006/1
C2D – Centre for Research on Direct Democracy ZDA - Zentrum für Demokratie Aarau University of Zurich C2D Working Paper Series Direct Democracy in the Commonwealth of Independent States: The State of the Art Jonathan WHEATLEY Wheatley, Jonathan Direct Democracy in the Commonwealth of Independent States: The State of the Art C2D Working Paper Series 28/2008 C2D – Centre for Research on Direct Democracy Wheatley, Jonathan Direct Democracy in the Commonwealth of Independent States: The State of the Art C2D Working Paper Series 28/2008 C2D – Centre for Research on Direct Democracy ISSN 1662-8152 http://www.c2d.ch ABSTRACT Direct democracy is typically defined as a system in which citizens are able to participate directly in political decision-making without relying on representatives or intermediaries. However, like representative democracy, direct democracy is only possible if citizens are able to exercise a real influence over the decision-making process. The inclusion of direct democracy mechanisms in a country’s constitution and other fundamental laws is not a sufficient condition for the existence of direct democracy as a genuine participatory process. Direct democracy also requires that the law be applied in practice, ideally in a manner that improves democratic governance. The example of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) shows that that there are a number of cases in which the legislation allows for direct democracy, but in practice this legislation is applied selectively, if at all. Worse still, direct democracy mechanisms can be used to strengthen authoritarian levers of control, as evidenced by the way in which some presidents in the successor states of the USSR have manipulated referendums to augment their own powers at the expense of those of the legislature. -
Proceedings of the United States Senate in the Impeachment Trial Of
1 116TH CONGRESS " ! S. DOC. 2d Session SENATE 116–12 PROCEEDINGS OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE IN THE IMPEACHMENT TRIAL OF PRESIDENT DONALD JOHN TRUMP PART III PART III OF IV VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:12 Jan 20, 2020 Jkt 039382 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6012 Sfmt 6012 E:\HR\OC\SD012P3.XXX SD012P3 tkelley on DSKBCP9HB2PROD with SENATE DOC E:\Seals\Congress.#13 1 116TH CONGRESS " ! S. DOC. 2d Session SENATE 116–12 PROCEEDINGS OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE IN THE IMPEACHMENT TRIAL OF PRESIDENT DONALD JOHN TRUMP PART III PART III OF IV U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 39–382 WASHINGTON : 2020 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:12 Jan 20, 2020 Jkt 039382 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 4012 Sfmt 4012 E:\HR\OC\SD012P3.XXX SD012P3 tkelley on DSKBCP9HB2PROD with SENATE DOC E:\Seals\Congress.#13 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:12 Jan 20, 2020 Jkt 039382 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 4012 Sfmt 4012 E:\HR\OC\SD012P3.XXX SD012P3 tkelley on DSKBCP9HB2PROD with SENATE DOC C O N T E N T S Page PART III 1. Replication of the United States House of Representatives to the Answer of President Donald J. Trump to the Articles of Impeachment ............................................................................................... 129 2. Trial Memorandum of President Donald J. Trump .................................. 139 (III) VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:28 Jan 20, 2020 Jkt 039382 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 0486 E:\HR\OC\SD012P3.XXX SD012P3 tkelley on DSKBCP9HB2PROD with SENATE DOC VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:12 Jan 20, 2020 Jkt 039382 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 0486 E:\HR\OC\SD012P3.XXX SD012P3 tkelley on DSKBCP9HB2PROD with SENATE DOC IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES Sitting as a Court of Impeachment In re IMPEACHMENT OF PRESIDENT DONALD J.