How Democratic Transition Can Unfold in Ukraine
By Leonard Benardo
In the months since thousands of people took to the streets to demand an end to a retrograde kleptocracy, Ukraine remains in the headlines. The tragic story of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 once again underscores the need for policy makers, especially in Europe, to take a unified stance against barbarism and in defense of basic human dignity.
Despite last week’s tragedy and the ongoing conflict in the east, there is hope.
For three days in Kyiv, 200 experts and practitioners from a variety of sectors, including key ministers in the Ukrainian government, met to map out a reform process and explore how to reposition the country. The change ushered in on the Maidan is now being channeled into plans for better governance, law enforcement, justice, energy, macroeconomic development, health, and education.
A reformist agenda for Ukraine can be a template for how an effective and democratic transition can unfold.
Leonard Benardo is senior vice president for the Open Society Foundations.