Commentary & Analysis

Working with a wide community of experts and thought-leaders, the Eurasia Center delivers cutting-edge analysis and commentary on issues affecting Eurasia and the transatlantic community.

UkraineAlert

May 16, 2016

Jamala’s Triumph at Eurovision Reminds Ukraine to Take Cultural Diplomacy Seriously

By Kateryna Smagliy

The 2016 Eurovision Song Contest has energized Ukrainians, whose spirits had been low due to “Ukraine fatigue,” continuous political feuds, and lack of reforms. Jamala’s win and her powerful song about persecution and the abuse of Crimean Tatars has filled our hearts with pride and solidarity. It also reminds us that culture is a powerful […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 13, 2016

Why Slow and Steady Wins the Race: A Case for Patience in Post-Maidan Ukraine

By Alexander J. Motyl

The aftermath of revolutions is always disappointing. Expectations of immediate transformation come up against intractable reality and a deep and debilitating disappointment usually sets in among much of the population. But not among radicals, who typically demand a thoroughgoing renewal of the elites deemed responsible for “betraying” the cause. In France, which set the pattern […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 11, 2016

One Year Later, Ukraine’s Patrol Police Enjoy Massive Spike in Trust

By Katie LaRoque

If one were to merely follow national politics in Ukraine, it would be easy to become discouraged about the state of reforms. Headlines from top media suggest that Ukraine’s longstanding oligarchic power structures and institutionalized corruption have persisted in the wake of the Revolution of Dignity, frustrating citizens and the international community. Indeed, the many […]

Europe & Eurasia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 11, 2016

Let’s Do the Numbers: What Would Ukraine’s Parliament Look Like if Elections Were Held Today?

By Brian Mefford

Ukraine will likely avoid early parliamentary elections this year. Some analysts feared that early elections would bring populists to power, while others reasoned that they might bring more reformers into parliament. Barring a collapse of the thin parliamentary majority that made Volodomyr Groisman Ukraine’s prime minister on April 14, he has one year to perform […]

Ukraine

New Atlanticist

May 11, 2016

Chuck Hagel to Next US President: Talk to Putin

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Former Defense Secretary warns against ‘Cold War buildup’ as NATO deploys in Europe’s eastern flank As it ramps up its troop presence in Europe’s eastern flank, NATO must be careful not to get embroiled in a “Cold War buildup” with Russia, and the next US president must make it a priority to engage directly with […]

NATO Russia

UkraineAlert

May 9, 2016

Why Ukraine Needs the IMF

By Anders Åslund

Just after the May holidays, a mission from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) plans to visit Ukraine from May 10-18. The Ukrainian government and the informed public pay great attention to this event, and rightly so. Ukraine is likely to obtain a much delayed credit of $1.7 billion by mid-June. The beauty of the IMF […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 9, 2016

Ukraine’s Unique Totalitarian Trauma Offers Key to Historic Healing

By Peter Dickinson

Across the former Soviet Union, May 9 is traditionally the date for Victory Day celebrations to mark the end of World War II. In Ukraine, it can often feel as if the war never actually ended. Ever since Ukraine gained independence in 1991, World War II has served as a proxy battleground for Ukrainians as […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 9, 2016

Why EU Sanctions on Russia Are Overrated but Still Needed

By Christopher A. Hartwell and Andreas Umland

Calls for canceling the EU’s sanctions on Russia after they expire in July 2016 have recently been gathering momentum across Western Europe. On April 28, the French parliament passed a non-binding resolution recommending that the EU’s trade limits and other restrictions on Russia be lifted. Framing the sanctions as both ineffective and dangerous to France’s […]

Russia Ukraine

Event Recap

May 6, 2016

Private Luncheon with European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, Miguel Arias Cañete

By Eurasian Energy Futures Initiative

On May 4, 2016, the Atlantic Council’s Eurasian Energy Futures Initiative partnered with the US Chamber of Commerce to hold a private luncheon with Miguel Arias Cañete, European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy.

New Atlanticist

May 6, 2016

How Ukraine Can Solve Its Local Election Conundrum

By John E. Herbst

Even when it is effective, diplomacy can be an unsightly business. Perhaps nothing illustrates this better than that ugly, illegitimate child of Mother Russia’s war in Ukraine: the Minsk agreements. In recent months, Germany and France have been pressing Ukraine to pass a local elections law as the basis for holding elections in the Donetsk People’s Republic […]

Ukraine
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