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Home page  About CSIS Programs Russia and Eurasia Program Ukraine Working Group on Ukrainian Elections
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Working Group on Ukrainian Elections
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Working Group on Ukrainian Elections — Under the auspices of the Russia and Eurasia Program, the Working Group on Ukrainian Elections was established in 2001 to provide a forum for members of the Washington policy community and the U.S. government to assess elections for Ukraine’s Verchovna Rada in March of 2002 and later the October 2004 presidential election. The working group, composed of select policymakers and academics working on issues related to Ukraine, held periodic meetings in which participants discussed the impact of the election process on Ukraine's future development, U.S.-Ukrainian relations, and Ukraine's position in Europe. The Working Group monitored the administration and conduct of elections by Ukrainian authorities, including proposals to amend constitutional provisions on elections, the extent to which journalists and candidates were allowed freedom of expression, and the prospects for who would become the next president of Ukraine while making recommendations in support of Ukraine’s future.
The Working Group also sponsored select public discussions with guest speakers. U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Carlos Pascual focused on the political situation in Ukraine preceding the presidential election while other meetings have featured such speakers as Oleksandr Todiychuk, Chairman of the Board of Ukrtransnafta; Hryhoriy Nemyria, Director of the Center for European and International Studies; and Volodymyr Stretovich, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada's Committee on Fighting Organized Crime and Corruption. Other seminars on Ukraine have included such speakers as former Ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer and Taras Kuzio, resident fellow at the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies.
Publications:
View the June 2005 Joint Declaration, Challenge and Opportunity: A U.S. Strategy on Ukraine, meant to promote deeper continued U.S. support for Ukraine and co-authored by Madeleine K. Albright, James A. Baker III, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Frank C. Carlucci, John J. Hamre, Henry A. Kissinger, and Brent Scowcroft, and coordinated by Celeste A. Wallander.
Excerpt:
“… [T]he United States, in close coordination with the European Union, must also play a leading role in Ukraine’s full transformation and integration into the Euro-Atlantic community. The United States should challenge Ukraine’s leaders and society to undertake the policies and institutional changes necessary to become a full member of the Euro-Atlantic community, and should create every opportunity for Ukraine’s leaders and society by removing outdated obstacles to progress.”
Read the Challenge and Opportunity: Background Paper authored by Dr. Celeste A. Wallander, here. |
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