This volume is an updated edition of Serhy Yekelchyk's 2015 publication, The Conflict in Ukraine. It addresses Ukraine's relations with the West from the perspective of Ukrainians. The book also explains how independent Ukraine fell victim to crony capitalism, how its people rebelled twice in the last two decades in the name of democracy and against corruption, and why Russia reacted so aggressively to the strivings of Ukrainians. Additionally, it looks at what we know about alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 US presidential election, the factors behind the stunning electoral victory of the political novice Volodymyr Zelensky, and the ways in which the events leading to the impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump have changed the Russia-Ukraine-US relationship.

Conventional wisdom dictates that Ukraine's political crises can be traced to the linguistic differences and divided political loyalties that have long fractured the country. However, this theory obscures the true significance of Ukraine's recent civic revolution and the conflict's crucial international dimension. The 2013-14 Ukrainian revolution presented authoritarian powers in Russia with both a democratic and a geopolitical challenge. In reality, political conflict in Ukraine is reflective of global discord, stemming from differing views on state power, civil society, and democracy. Ukraine's sudden prominence in American politics has compounded an already-widespread misunderstanding of what is actually happening in the nation. In the American media, Ukraine has come to signify an inherently corrupt place, rather than a real country struggling in the face of great challenges. Ukraine: What Everyone Needs to Know® is an updated edition of Serhy Yekelchyk's 2015 publication, The Conflict in Ukraine. It addresses Ukraine's relations with the West, particularly the United States, from the perspective of Ukrainians. The book explains how independent Ukraine fell victim to crony capitalism, how its people rebelled twice in the last two decades in the name of democracy and against corruption, and why Russia reacted so aggressively to the strivings of Ukrainians. Additionally, it looks at what we know about alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 US presidential election, the factors behind the stunning electoral victory of the political novice Volodymyr Zelensky, and the ways in which the events leading to the impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump have changed the Russia-Ukraine-US relationship. This volume is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the forces that have shaped contemporary politics in this increasingly important part of Europe, as well as the international background of the impeachment proceedings in the US.

This reliable and accessible sourcebook by an accomplished and gifted Ukrainian historian beautifully conveys the knowledge we need to prevent misunderstandings, avoid stereotypes, and decode propaganda. It should be on the desk, the bedside, or the airplane tray table of everyone who is working to undersand Ukraine or to help Europe resolve its major crisis.

Autorentext
Serhy Yekelchyk is Professor of History and Slavic Studies at the University of Victoria. He has published widely on modern Ukrainian history and Russian-Ukrainian relations.

Klappentext

Conventional wisdom dictates that Ukraine's political crises can be traced to the linguistic differences and divided political loyalties that have long fractured the country. However, this theory obscures the true significance of Ukraine's recent civic revolution and the conflict's crucial international dimension. The 2013-14 Ukrainian revolution presented authoritarian powers in Russia with both a democratic and a geopolitical challenge. In reality, political conflict in Ukraine is reflective of global discord, stemming from differing views on state power, civil society, and democracy. Ukraine's sudden prominence in American politics has compounded an already-widespread misunderstanding of what is actually happening in the nation. In the American media, Ukraine has come to signify an inherently corrupt place, rather than a real country struggling in the face of great challenges. Ukraine: What Everyone Needs to Know� is an updated edition of Serhy Yekelchyk's 2015 publication, The Conflict in Ukraine. It addresses Ukraine's relations with the West, particularly the United States, from the perspective of Ukrainians. The book explains how independent Ukraine fell victim to crony capitalism, how its people rebelled twice in the last two decades in the name of democracy and against corruption, and why Russia reacted so aggressively to the strivings of Ukrainians. Additionally, it looks at what we know about alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 US presidential election, the factors behind the stunning electoral victory of the political novice Volodymyr Zelensky, and the ways in which the events leading to the impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump have changed the Russia-Ukraine-US relationship. This volume is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the forces that have shaped contemporary politics in this increasingly important part of Europe, as well as the international background of the impeachment proceedings in the US.

Inhalt

• Acknowledgments

• Chronology

• Map

• 1. Why Ukraine?

• Why did Ukraine become a key reference point of American political struggles?

• What is the Maidan, and what made it top news around the world?

• How and why did Russia annex the Crimea from Ukraine?

• Why did fighting break out in eastern Ukraine in the spring of 2014?

• Why did the Ukrainian crisis cause tensions between Russia and the West?

• 2. The Land and the People

• What is Ukraine's geographical location, and what natural resources and industry does it possess?

• What is Ukraine's demography and ethnic composition?

• Who are the Ukrainians, and what is modern Ukrainian national identity?

• Is it true that Ukraine is split into pro-Western and pro-Russian halves?

• How large is the Ukrainian diaspora, and what role does it play in North American politics?

• 3. The Making of Modern Ukraine

• Was Ukraine always part of Russia?

• What was the medieval state of Kyivan Rus', and was it a Russian or Ukrainian polity?

• Who were the Cossacks?

• Is it true that Ukraine was "reunited" with Russia in 1654?

• Who was Ivan Mazepa, and why is he considered a "traitor" in Russia?

• What were Russia's imperial policies in Ukraine?

• Did the Austrian Empire govern its Ukrainian lands differently?

• What happened in the Ukrainian lands during the revolutionary turmoil of 1917-1920?

• Why did the Bolsheviks create a Ukrainian republic within the Soviet Union, and how did they determine its borders?

• What was the Holodomor (the Ukrainian Famine of 1932-1933), and was it genocide?

• Is it true that all the Ukrainian lands were united in a single polity for the first time under Stalin?

• What is Babi Yar, and how did the Holocaust unfold in Ukraine?

• Who was Stepan Bandera, and what was the Ukrainian Insurgent Army?

• What were the Soviet policies in Ukraine during the postwar period?

• Who were the dissidents, and how did they contribute to the collapse of communism?

• Why did the Chernobyl accident happen, and what was its impact on Ukraine?

• 4. Ukraine after Communism

• Did the Ukrainians have to fight the Russians in order to secede from the Soviet Union?

• What is the Commonwealth of Independent States?

• When and why did Ukraine give up its nuclear arsenal?

• What were Ukraine's relations with the West and Russia in the first decade after independence?

• Did the presidents of indep…