International Assistance and Human Rights in Post-Soviet Ukraine

A decade into its independent, post-Soviet existence, words or phrases like laggard, diminished expectations or basket case typically capture the headline story about Ukraine. In the humanrights policy area, the country has gone from being one of the Western community’s star pupils to a problem child. What accounts for this disturbing progression, if, indeed, it is accurate? Where has international assistance gone wrong (and right)? What policy lessons can be gleaned from the experience of seeking to create a rule-of-law polity in a transition state like Ukraine? To answer such questions, a baseline for comparison needs to be established as well as two key terms, international assistance and human rights, defined. Such preliminaries are essential if we are to put Ukraine’s human-rights record in its proper context. […]

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