Ukraine, the EU and Russia : history, culture and international relations /

Ukrainians reemerged on Europe's political map in 1991 after more than 200 years of direct Russian rule. As there was no "liberation war" and "old regime" elites were not exiled or executed, the legacies of the past weigh-down particularly heavily. Political independence is not matched by economic, cultural and psychological independence. This book surveys the Ukrainian-EU relationship in light of the legacies of Russian rule. It examines interrelationships between identities, loyalties and political/cultural orientations, reviews policies, and identifies salient forces and trends.Includes index.Introduction. Ukraine : EU Member or a second Belorus? / Stephen Velychenko -- Eurasianism then and now : a Russian conservative movement and its Ukrainian challenge / Martin Beisswenger -- 'Imperial culture' and Russian-Ukrainian unity myths / Oleh S. Ilnytzkyj -- Ambivalence or ambiguity? Why Ukraine is trapped between 'East' and 'West' / Mykola Riabchuk -- The rhetoric of geography in Ukrainian literature 1991-2005 / Marko Pavlyshyn -- Managing memory in post-Soviet Ukraine : 'victory day' or 'remembrance day'? / Roman Serbyn -- Ukraine's European policy as an alternative choice : achievements, mistakes, and prospects / Oleksy Semeniy -- The EU's impact on democratic transformation in Ukraine / Iryna Solonenko -- The fraying lifeline : Ukraine and the European Union a year after the failed referenda / John R. Gillingham -- Conclusion / James Sherr.Ukrainians reemerged on Europe's political map in 1991 after more than 200 years of direct Russian rule. As there was no "liberation war" and "old regime" elites were not exiled or executed, the legacies of the past weigh-down particularly heavily. Political independence is not matched by economic, cultural and psychological independence. This book surveys the Ukrainian-EU relationship in light of the legacies of Russian rule. It examines interrelationships between identities, loyalties and political/cultural orientations, reviews policies, and identifies salient forces and trends