During the past five years, Ukraine has often been compared to a poorly controlled ship. The analogy is a valid one, since the constitutional amendments of 2004, which split executive power between the president and parliament in an effort to limit the reach of the Orange Revolution and subsequent presidency of Viktor Yushchenko, have doomed Ukraine’s political system to a high level of instability. Checks and balances within the power triangle of the president, prime minister and parliament have degenerated into a destructive struggle for power. As a result of these amendments, instability can be overcome only if the presidential office and the parliamentary coalition are controlled by the same political party – a political experience previously unknown in post-communist Ukraine.

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POWER CONSOLIDATION: IS DEMOCRACY SAFE IN UKRAINE?

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RESHAPING FOREIGN POLICY: IS THERE A THREAT TO UKRAINIAN INDEPENDENCE?

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