The Atlantic Council, the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings, and the Peterson Institute for International Economics co-hosted a conference to discuss the state of governance in Ukraine. The conference opened with a discussion with Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin. Panels with leading American and European experts examined “The Challenges of Governance in Ukraine” and “The Impact on the Economy and Foreign Policy.” In a keynote discussion following a buffet lunch, Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, former National Security Advisor and Atlantic Council International Advisory Board Member, offered brief comments followed by a Q&A session.
The state of governance in Ukraine today is the subject of widespread debate. Ukrainian and international observers have cited corruption, flaws in the October 2010 local elections, inappropriate actions by the Security Service of Ukraine, and prosecution of opposition political figures as evidence of democratic backsliding under Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. The president and his government deny these charges, contending that centralizing some authority is required to bring about order, govern effectively, and implement difficult and overdue economic reforms. What is happening with the state of governance in Ukraine? How is it affecting the Ukrainian economy and Ukraine’s foreign relations, particularly with Europe and the United States? And how should the West engage the Yanukovych government and Ukrainian civil society to protect democratic and market-oriented progress?
Program
Please note all times are EDT (Eastern Daylight Time).
8:30 | Registration
Coffee and tea available
9:00 | Welcome
Speaker:
Steven Pifer, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution, Washington
9:05 | Conversation with Pavlo Klimkin, Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine
Moderator:
Damon Wilson, Executive Vice President, Atlantic Council, Washington
9:45 | Panel 1: The Challenges of Governance in Ukraine
Panelists:
Adrian Karatnycky, Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council, New York
David Kramer, President, Freedom House, Washington
Andriy Kulykov, Talk Show Host, Svoboda Slova, ICTV
Oleh Rybachuk, Chairman, United Action Center, Kyiv
Victoria Sjumar, Executive Director, Institute of Mass Information, Kyiv
Moderator:
Anders Åslund, Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics, Washington
11:15 | Coffee Break
11:30 | Panel 2: The Impact on the Economy and Foreign Policy
Panelists:
Andriy Fialko, Foreign Policy Advisor to the President of Ukraine, Kyiv
James Sherr, Senior Fellow, Royal Institute for International Affairs, London
Olga Shumylo-Tapiola, Visiting Scholar, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Brussels
Damon Wilson, Executive Vice President, Atlantic Council, Washington
Jorge Zukoski, President, American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, Kyiv
Moderator:
Steven Pifer, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution, Washington
1:00 | Buffet Lunch
1:30 | Keynote Discussion with Zbigniew Brzezinski, former U.S. National Security Advisor, Counselor and Trustee, CSIS, Atlantic Council International Advisory Board Member
Chair:
C. Fred Bergsten, Director, Peterson Institute for International Economics, Washington
2:30 | End of Conference