New report offers road map for getting US-Ukraine bilateral ties back on track UkraineAlert by Andrew D’Anieri
Ukrainian and US flags fly in central Kyiv, Ukraine. (REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko)
Washington has been an essential partner to Kyiv ever since Ukraine achieved independence in 1991. The strategic importance of this bilateral relationship has increased dramatically since 2014 and the onset of the Russo-Ukrainian War, with the US playing a leading role in international efforts to support Ukraine and hold Moscow accountable. However, domestic political developments within the US over the past five years have introduced a degree of turbulence and tension into the relationship between America and Ukraine.
Exploring Belarusian civil society
Belarus has been rocked by more than six months of pro-democracy protests since a deeply flawed presidential election in August 2020. (Stringer/TASS via REUTERS)
Earlier this month, the Eurasia Center hosted a discussion about the rapid growth of civil society in Belarus in 2020. During the conversation, it became clear that our audience wanted more information about Belarusian civil society organizations and independent think tanks.
Let’s face it: in a country without a free media, it’s hard to stay abreast of the latest developments. Our community also wanted to know how solidarity groups in Belarus receive financial support and to better understand the best places to receive independent commentary and more detailed information about the situation on the ground in Belarus.
Education Minister Serhiy Shkarlet
KYIV – As the year ends, a moderate reshuffle in the Cabinet of Ministers and at the executive branch took place over the past 10 days in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s administration amid the political newcomer’s dwindling popularity 19 months into his term.
Oleh Tatarov, the president’s deputy chief of staff responsible for law enforcement, said on December 21 that he would recuse himself of certain duties in order to cooperate with investigators and avoid a conflict of interest in a large-scale corruption case in which he is a suspect.
Oleg Tatarov
After receiving a notice of suspicion for involvement in the alleged $2.8 million graft scheme from the National Anticorruption Bureau (NABU), Mr. Tatarov said at a briefing the same day that he had “temporarily transferred part of my powers to another employee of the president’s office in order to avoid manipulation.”
Ukraine’s education reforms are at risk of politicization UkraineAlert by Andrew D’Anieri
Ukraine s education system has experienced a number of reforms in recent years. (REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko)
For the past three years, Ukraine has made relatively steady progress towards modernization of its education system while largely avoiding the political maneuvering that has stalled other reform programs. This nonpartisan success story is now under threat thanks to the controversial recent confirmation of Serhiy Shkarlet as Minister of Education and Science, an appointment that has dragged Ukraine’s ambitious educational reforms firmly into the political fray.
Shkarlet was first appointed acting Minister of Education in June 2020. He had previously spent a decade as rector of the National Technological University, a role that made him the youngest ever rector of a large Ukrainian university. Shkarlet has come under fire for comments he made in