A nation must think before it acts.
Ukraine and the Return to Authoritarianism in the Former Soviet Empire
A quarter century after the fall of communism throughout the former Soviet empire, democracy has lost much of the ground it had seemed to gain during the 1990’s. In retrospect, Ukraine’s 2004 “Orange Revolution” was the high water mark of post-communist democratization. The small Baltic States aside, authoritarian forces have made a remarkable comeback in most of the former Soviet republics, and Russia has taken on an increasingly aggressive role both in undermining democracy and in asserting special rights in as many as possible of the states on its periphery. Ukraine is now the centerpiece of Moscow’s strategy for promoting its authoritarian dominance in the region.
To consider these and other questions, please join host Ron Granieri as he welcomes Hon. Adrian Basora. Adrian Basora was U.S. Ambassador to Czechoslovakia from July 1992 to December 1992, and then U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic from 1993 to 1995. Currently, he serves as a Senior Fellow and Director of the Project on Democratic Transitions at FPRI.