No. 7

    The Ukraine Divide

There are three core components to the current outbreak of civic unrest:

1- A broken promise between a leader and his citizens: President Viktor F. Yanukovych had a promise to Ukraine with the European Union by signing sweeping political and trade agreements.

2- The Cold War-era fight between Russia and the West for influence over countries in Eastern Europe still suffering from political and economic problems rooted in the soviet era. This problem is due to wanting to expand of Western Europe and its economic power. So, as perceived by the military as a threat to not only the military but the economic threat, Russia exerted enormous pressure to scuttle the accords with the European Union.

3- The outrage of the government's sometimes brutal response to the street protests that followed the president's about-face on ties with the European Union. The crackdowns deeply contradicted Ukraine's gas supply, and eastern Ukraine's heavy dependence on Russia for business and trade.