Alexander Motyl

Alexander Motyl is professor of political science and deputy director of the Center for Global Change and Governance at Rutgers University, New Jersey.

The Prorizna Street rebellion

A spirited protest in central Kyiv embodies the ethos of a new, civic Ukraine whose people - despite their politicians - have internalised the values of the “orange revolution”. Alexander J Motyl reports for openDemocracy

By Alexander Motyl

/ 23 Mar 2010

How Ukrainians became citizens

Ukraine in late November 2004 is in the grip of two refusals. The refusal of the state machinery to acknowledge the truth of the presidential election result is met by

By Alexander Motyl

/ 1 Oct 2007

Two years after the Orange revolution: Ukraine in a funk

Two years ago, in November-December 2004, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians peacefully occupied downtown Kyiv in protest against the falsification of presidential elections. That popular uprising, known as the Orange

By Alexander Motyl

/ 22 Dec 2006

Ukraine and Russia: divergent political paths

Here's a puzzle. Throughout the 1990s, Ukraine and Russia were quasi-democracies with authoritarian features. By 2001, they began moving in the direction of greater despotism. But then their

By Alexander Motyl

/ 16 Aug 2006

Ukraine's new political complexion

The most remarkable thing about Ukraine's electoral campaign is how eerily European it looks. Seventeen months ago, in the run-up to the fraudulent presidential elections that sparked the

By Alexander Motyl

/ 24 Mar 2006

Ukraine vs Russia: the politics of an energy crisis

2006 began dramatically for Ukraine. On 4 January, Kyiv (Kiev) and Moscow signed a deal that ended their increasingly acrimonious gas dispute and resumed Russian gas supplies to Ukraine and

By Alexander Motyl

/ 17 Jan 2006

Democracy is alive in Ukraine

When Ukraines democratically elected president, Viktor Yushchenko, sacked his government on 8 September including his prime minister and former political ally, Yulia Tymoshenko alarm bells went off and commentators

By Alexander Motyl

/ 11 Sep 2005