UKRAINE'S EXTERNAL ECONOMIC DEPENDENCIES AND THE STRUGGLE TOWARDS POLITICAL INDEPENDENCE: UKRAINE’S EXTERNAL ECONOMIC DEPENDENCIES AND THE STRUGGLE TOWARDS POLITICAL INDEPENDENCE
Translated title
UKRAINE'S EXTERNAL ECONOMIC DEPENDENCIES AND THE STRUGGLE TOWARDS POLITICAL INDEPENDENCE
Author
Morgan, Nadine Elise
Term
4. term
Publication year
2022
Abstract
Efter Sovjetunionens kollaps blev Østeuropa en arena for rivaliserende indflydelse mellem Rusland og Vesten. Ukraines udvikling siden 1991 illustrerer denne kamp: en gradvis økonomisk og politisk omlægning fra Rusland mod EU midt i indenlandsk uro, omstridt suverænitet i Krim og Donbas og blandet offentlig opbakning til EU/NATO-medlemskab. Afhandlingen anvender postkolonial teori til at undersøge, hvordan Ukraines eksterne økonomiske afhængigheder påvirker landets stræben efter politisk uafhængighed. Den placerer Ukraine som en postkolonial stat, hvor sovjetarven, svage institutioner og behov for ekstern støtte skaber overlappende pres for at tilpasse sig stærke aktører. Med udgangspunkt i sekundærlitteratur, officielle dokumenter og nyere begivenheder — herunder EU’s Østpartnerskab og AA/DCFTA samt Ruslands reaktion — analyseres Ukraines bilaterale økonomiske politikker med EU og Rusland og de politiske følgevirkninger af integrationsbestræbelser. Forskningsspørgsmålet lyder: Hvordan har Ukraines økonomiske relationer til eksterne aktører påvirket dets politiske uafhængighed? Analysen er struktureret omkring tre temaer: Ukraines postkoloniale status i forhold til USSR; skiftet væk fra Rusland; og drejningen mod EU. Samlet belyser perspektiverne, hvordan handelsaftaler, sanktioner, bistand og energibånd sammen med interne splittelser både begrænser og muliggør Ukraines handlefrihed internationalt. Konkrete resultater fremgår ikke af det udleverede uddrag.
After the collapse of the USSR, Eastern Europe became a site of competing influence between Russia and the West. Ukraine’s trajectory since 1991 illustrates this struggle: a gradual economic and political reorientation from Russia toward the European Union amid domestic unrest, contested sovereignty in Crimea and Donbas, and mixed public opinion on EU/NATO membership. This thesis uses postcolonial theory to examine how Ukraine’s external economic dependencies shape its pursuit of political independence. It situates Ukraine as a postcolonial state whose Soviet legacy, weak institutions, and need for external support create overlapping pressures to align with powerful actors. Drawing on secondary literature, official documents, and recent events—including the EU’s Eastern Partnership and the AA/DCFTA, and Russia’s response—the study analyzes Ukraine’s bilateral economic policies with the EU and Russia and the political ramifications of integration efforts. The research question asks: How have Ukraine’s economic relations with external actors affected its political independence? The analysis is organized around three themes: Ukraine’s postcolonial status vis-à-vis the USSR; its shift away from Russia; and its turn toward the EU. Together, these perspectives illuminate how trade agreements, sanctions, aid, and energy ties interact with internal divisions to constrain and enable Ukraine’s choices in the international arena. Specific findings are not detailed in the provided excerpt.
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