The Eagle and the Trident: U.S.―Ukraine Relations in Turbulent Times - Hardcover

Pifer, Steven

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0815730403 ISBN 13: 9780815730408

Publisher: Brookings Institution Press, 2017

Synopsis

An insider’s account of the complex relations between the United States and post-Soviet Ukraine

The Eagle and the Trident provides the first comprehensive account of the development of U.S. diplomatic relations with an independent Ukraine, covering the years 1992 through 2004 following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The United States devoted greater attention to Ukraine than any other post-Soviet state (except Russia) after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Steven Pifer, a career Foreign Service officer, worked on U.S.-Ukraine relations at the State Department and the White House during that period and also served as ambassador to Ukraine. With this volume he has written the definitive narrative of the ups and downs in the relationship between Washington and newly independent Ukraine.

The relationship between the two countries moved from heady days in the mid- 1990s, when they declared a strategic partnership, to troubled times after 2002. During the period covered by the book, the United States generally succeeded in its major goals in Ukraine, notably the safe transfer of nearly 2,000 strategic nuclear weapons left there after the Soviet collapse. Washington also provided robust support for Ukraine’s effort to develop into a modern, democratic, market-oriented state. But these efforts aimed at reforming the state proved only modestly successful, leaving a nation that was not resilient enough to stand up to Russian aggression in Crimea in 2014.

The author reflects on what worked and what did not work in the various U.S. approaches toward Ukraine. He also offers a practitioner’s recommendations for current U.S. policies in the context of ongoing uncertainty about the political stability of Ukraine and Russia’s long-term intentions toward its smaller but important neighbor.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

An insider’s account of the complex relationship between the United States and post-Soviet Ukraine

The Eagle and the Trident, the first comprehensive account of the development of U.S. relations with an independent Ukraine, covers the years 1991 through 2004, following the collapse of the Soviet Union. During that period, the United States devoted greater attention to Ukraine than any other post-Soviet state, except Russia. Here Pifer has written the definitive narrative of the advances and setbacks experienced by Washington and Kyiv while both countries worked to fulfill the promise of the newly independent Ukrainian state.

The relationship between the two countries moved from heady days in the mid-1990s, when they declared a strategic partnership, to troubled times between 2001 and 2004. The Eagle and the Trident describes how the United States has generally succeeded in its major foreign policy goals in Ukraine―notably the safe transfer of nearly 2,000 strategic nuclear weapons left there after the Soviet collapse. However, while Washington also provided robust support for Ukraine’s effort to develop into a modern, democratic, market-oriented state, these efforts to reform the state proved less successful, leaving a nation that was not sufficiently resilient to stand up to Russian aggression in 2014.

Pifer, who served as the American ambassador to Ukraine during its early days of independence, reflects on what worked and what did not work in the various U.S. approaches toward Ukraine since independence. He also offers a practitioner’s recommendations for current U.S. policies in the context of ongoing uncertainty about the stability of Ukraine and Russia’s long-term intentions toward its smaller but important neighbor.

About the Author

Steven Pifer is a senior fellow in the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution, where he specializes in Ukraine, Russia, and arms control. A retired career Foreign Service officer, he served as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine from 1998 to 2000.

Edition details

• Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0815730403
• ISBN 13: 9780815730408
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 382