http://www.cfr.

org/ukraine/ukraine-crisis/p32540
Name

Niko Barattucci

Date 11/24/14

Article Title Ukraine in Crisis

Citation of the Article
"Ukraine in Crisis." Council on Foreign Relations. Ed. Robert McMahon. Council on Foreign Relations, 25
Aug. 2014. Web. 22 Nov. 2014.
Summary (No less than 10 sentences for full credit)
The Ukraine has been struggling since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Ukraine has been unable to
resolve internal divisions and build strong political institutions, making it almost impossible to execute
economic reforms. By 2010, half of the countrys gross domestic product was owned by the fifty richest
people in the Ukraine. In 2004 Viktor Yushchenko became president in a rigged election which sparked a
reformation causing severe economic troubles and masked the divide between European-oriented
western and central Ukraine and Russian-oriented southern and eastern Ukraine. In 2010, Yanukovich
won the presidency and became very corrupted, embezzling as much as $8 billion to $10 billion a year
over three years. Yanukovich dropped plans to sign a trade association agreement with the EU in 2013
which sparked the Euromaidan, demonstrations by protesters seeking to align their future with Europes
and speaking out against corruption. Yanukovych cracked down on the protesters and caused the
bloodiest conflict in the countrys Soviet period and made new divisions between the eastern and
western halves of the country causing fights between pro-Russian separatists and government forces in
April 2014. Petro Poroshenko came into power on May 25, 2014 and tried to make central government
in control over resistive eastern cities. However, the fighting had killed more than 2000 people and
caused hundreds of thousands to flee their home. Russia was accused of supplying ground to air missiles
to the separatists and deployed thousands of troops near the Ukrainian border.
Reaction (Must include evidence of point of view and/or bias and/or understanding of article; no less
than 6 sentences for full credit)
This article made me see how different the Ukraine is than the United States. The Ukraine is a country
that is filled with tons of corruption and power hungry leaders. They have suffered many losses in wars
because of their presidents and their desire to have full control over the country, which ultimately
resulted in the country dividing itself. The fact that the presidents of the country have to rig the
elections in order to come into power so that they can abuse their powers and embezzle money and
start wars that lead to many deaths is ridiculous. There needs to be a change in leadership in Ukraine.
With the amount of protesters and people who are against the government, obviously there needs to be
a change so that the citizens of the country are happy with their leader. With every great leader comes a
country that is capable of great things, and maybe a better leader could help the country economically
and bring the divided country back together again.

http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/141769/john-j-mearsheimer/why-the-ukraine-crisis-is-thewests-fault
Name

Niko Barattucci

Date 11/24/2014

Article Title Why the Ukraine Crisis is the Wests Fault

Citation of the Article
Mearsheimer, John J. "Why the Ukraine Crisis Is the West's Fault." Global. Council on Foreign Relations,
Sept. 2014. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
Summary (No less than 10 sentences for full credit)
The United States and its European allies share most of the responsibility for the Ukrainian crisis. NATOs
enlargement, a strategy to move Ukraine out of Russias orbit and integrate it to the west, and EUs
expansion eastward and the Wests backing of the pro-democracy movement in Ukraine are critical
elements in the crisis. In 2013, Yanukovych rejected an economic deal with the EU and accepted a $15
billion Russian counter offer instead, which created many deaths to protesters. Western emissaries flew
to Kiev to resolve the crisis. Putin ordered Russian forces to take Crimea and Ukraine on February 22,
and succeeded. Putin also put pressure on the government in Kiev to discourage it from siding with the
=West against Moscow. Because of Putins actions, officials from the United States and its European
allies contend that they tried hard to assuage Russian fears and that Moscow should understand that
NATO has no designs on Russia. Western leaders have clung to policies that caused the crisis in the first
place. Joe Biden met with Ukrainian legislatures and told them about how they have another
opportunity to make good on their original promise made by the Orange Revolution. There is a solution
to the crisis in the Ukraine which would require the West to think about the country in a new way. The
United States and its allies needs to abandon their plan to westernize Ukraine. They need to instead aim
to make it a neutral buffer between NATO and Russia.
Reaction (Must include evidence of point of view and/or bias and/or understanding of article; no less
than 6 sentences for full credit)
The United States and its allies are trying to Westernize Ukraine. Their attempts to do so are causing
more issues in the crisis and are said to have caused the crisis in the first place. Meanwhile, Russian
president, Vladimir Putin, wants to go after the Ukraine in an attempt to resuscitate the Soviet empire.
Although other leaders have been seen to cause the crisis in the Ukraine, the United States and its
European allies are the most blamed. The Orange Revolution was a critical factor in the start of the crisis
as well as the EUs expansion. With the western countries constantly trying to westernize Ukraine, there
is always going to be some kind of conflict going on.