Ukraine for Ukraine

The world has been watching Ukraine over the past several months as the Eastern European nation has become a hotbed of international tensions. First came the overthrow of then-President Viktor F. Yanukovych after his approval of a $15 billion bailout from Russia, followed by a series of violent protests that eventually led to the shaky, not-so-complete interim government currently in control of Ukraine. Following these events, international forces began jockeying for influence in Ukraine’s future. The Western world has kept an eye on the country through extended NATO presence and reconnaissance, and the United States has very recently deployed troops to the country. Meanwhile, Russian forces line the Ukrainian border; Crimea has seceded from Ukraine and annexed itself to its behemoth neighbor (as Putin labels it, “New Russia”); and “Pro-Russia Forces” within Ukraine have turned out to be Russian Special Forces in poor disguise. The recent escalations in and around Ukraine are alarming, especially considering the growing international involvement. Yet no matter how many NATO or American troops are deployed, it’s important that the new Ukrainian government be one that represents its people’s ideals devoid of current foreign affairs.

According to Nataliya Bugayova, a 2012 graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government who now serves as both an advisor and chief of staff to the Minister of Economic Development and Trade in Ukraine, these ideals held by citizens are largely Western, as can be seen from much of Ukraine’s unrest with Russian intervention. In fact, the Harvard Club of Ukraine has been working with alumni organizations of other universities throughout the US and Europe to encourage Western-educated Ukrainians to apply to vacant positions within the new government.

We commend the efforts of the Harvard Club of Ukraine and the government’s role in professionalizing the Ukrainian bureaucracy, as it shows some of the country’s first steps in responding to the needs of its people rather than its politics. We certainly hope that such a trend will continue in the elections taking place in May, with citizens hoping for new faces. We also look forward to a new constitution for Ukraine, without Russian interference. Despite the unrest of the past several months and the loss of Crimea, Ukraine must form a government that is responsive to its people, lest it be overthrown again.

The recent efforts to improve Ukraine’s government reflect an important step toward normalization in the country. We support the Harvard Club of Ukraine and other actors who wish to professionalize government and tailor it to the needs of Ukraine’s citizens. That being said, lasting change will only come with a new constitution drafted for and by the people of Ukraine. With the recent conflicts stemming mainly from competing pressures from Europe and Russia, and with Russian and American troops massing at Ukraine’s borders, peace and security seem unlikely to come through international efforts. If any positive resolution is to be had, it must be at the hands of a self-governing Ukrainian people.