For the past two decades, Ukraine has been torn between competing impulses.
Should it preserve its historical connections with Mother Russia to the East or seek greater economic ties — and possibly full membership — with the European Union in the West?
Three weeks ago, Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych renounced the EU in favour of closer economic ties with Russia, a move that led to roiling street protests and a feeling among many Ukrainians and foreign observers alike that the country is headed down a precarious path.
“This is the beginning of the end, in my view, of an independent, stable Ukraine,” says Stephen Larrabee, the Washington-based distinguished chair in European security for the Rand Corporation.