Ukraine's recent Orange Revolution opens an enormous opportunity to reinvigorate the democratic reform process in that country and to bring it closer to European and transatlantic structures. A new book just released by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, jointly with the Heinrich Boell Foundation of Germany, brings together renowned experts from Ukraine, Europe, and the United States to look more closely and systematically into the steps needed to take advantage of this opportunity both domestically and internationally.

Ukraine after the Orange Revolution. Strengthening European and Transatlantic Commitments represents one outcome of a strategic dialogue on Ukraine and the Euro-Atlantic community initiated by the German Marshall Fund and the Heinrich Boell Foundation before Ukraine’s 2004 presidential elections, elections which proved so crucial for Ukraine's democratic development. This dialogue, bringing together policymakers and analysts from Ukraine, Europe, and the United States, concluded with a session just one week after the inauguration of Ukraine’s new and freely elected president, Viktor Yushchenko, in January 2005.

The book provides one of the first post-Orange Revolution accounts of policies and strategies designed to help Ukraine succeed with democratic and market reform, and with enhanced cooperation and integration with the Euro-Atlantic community. It addresses necessary domestic changes in political institutions, the economy and society, and foreign policy. It explores the existing framework of relationships with the European community and outlines possible improvements in the short, medium and long term. Finally, the book provides a vision for anchoring Ukraine with NATO and European Union as the central pillars of the Euro-Atlantic family of democratic nations.

Contributors to the book include Borys Tarasyuk, Foreign Minister of Ukraine; Hryhoriy Nemyria, Foreign Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister of Ukraine; Olaf Hillenbrand and Iris Kempe of the Center for Applied Policy Research in Munich, Germany; Sascha Mueller-Kraenner of the Heinrich Boell Foundation in Berlin, Germany; and Ronald D. Asmus, Executive Director of the GMF Transatlantic Center in Brussels. This book was edited by GMF’s Joerg Forbrig and Robin Shepherd, Adjunct Fellow of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC.

Hard copies may be attained by contacting Joerg Forbrig (jforbrig@gmfus.org), or by printing from the link below.