Half measures and incomplete reforms: the breeding ground for a hybrid civil Society in Ukraine

Abstract

In the space of 24 years, Ukraine has experienced three ‘revolutions’: the revolution for independence, the ‘Orange Revolution’ and the ‘Dignity Revolution’. On each occasion the event has been lauded as a triumph of democracy over authoritarianism and as evidence that Ukraine will soon be able to assume its rightful place as a free, democratic state in Europe. On two out of three occasions the reverse has occurred; while the people have taken to the streets to protest against flagrant corruption and abuse of power, the oligarchs have responded with only minor changes to the political system. The reins of political and economic power have remained firmly in their hands, and Ukraine’s prospects for political and economic development have deteriorated. The Dignity Revolution of 2014 is seen as different from preceding revolutions because civil society appeared to be much more active and it has succeeded, in part, in maintaining pressure on government for reform. It is important to understand, however, that despite periodic and dramatic demonstrations of outrage over the corrupt and authoritarian practices of the political elites, civil society has generally been classed as apathetic, weak and ineffectual. Thus, the current challenge for Ukrainian civil society is to overcome its own limitations so that it can better hold government to account.

Keywords:

• Ukraine
• Dignity Revolution
• civil society
• accountability

Notes

1. This view was evident during discussions with a cross section of the Ukrainian security sector held in May 2015 during a research visit. It is also evident in the statements made in the Ukrainian National Security Strategy (May 2015) and the Ukrainian Military Doctrine (September 2015).

2. Mikhail Gorbachev was appointed Secretary General of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in March 1985. In that role he launched a series of political and economic reforms collectively known as perestroika or restructuring. An element of those reforms concerned the electoral system. Although the Soviet Union remained a one party state, Gorbachev introduced competitive elections. Under this arrangement multiple candidates were allowed to contest a seat, but multiple parties were not. This new electoral process allowed different perspectives to be aired and succeeded in challenging the dominance of certain factions within the CPSU.

3. President Viktor Yanukovych went into exile in Russian on 25 February 2014, when it became clear that his position, following the deaths of the ‘Heavenly 100’, was no longer tenable.

4. That legislation imposed heavy fines and possible detention for a wide range of offences: the installation of tents, stages or amplifiers in public places, the supply of such facilities, the wearing of masks and the dissemination of extremist information or slander.

5. As of July 2015, it was estimated that there were 1.3 million internally displaced people. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (2015) provides regular updates on the number of IDPs and refugees.