(FIIA Comment) Any euphoria or triumphalism would be inappropriate. History is offering Ukraine another chance to build a better future. In trying to concentrate power and wealth in the hands of his family and cronies, the former president, Viktor Yanukovych, ruined the system of balances and compromises on which Ukraine’s statehood has been based since independence. This was unacceptable for many, both among the ordinary people and the economic elites.
The ousting of Viktor Yanukovych is another reminder that at critical moments such rulers do not have any defenders, besides those in police uniforms bound by an oath, and paid mercenaries, which is not enough to resist the will of the people to change their lives. However, what has happened is no more than a promise. The situation in and around Ukraine is still dramatic. The country is facing numerous challenges, and each of them can prevent the dreams of a functioning state and a thriving economy from becoming a reality. […]
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