Ukrainian Foreign Policy and the Internal Determinants

Ukraine is one of the crucial countries in sustaining the stability and security of Europe. Due to its geopolitic situation Ukraine is dependent on both Russia and the West and thus it is very difficult for this fresh country to follow either a prominent pro-Western or a pro-Russian foreign policy. While struggling against this dilemma, Ukraine has to deal with many contributing foreign factors. The question that must be asked is if the foreign factors are the only major determinants of Ukraine's current situation or else. Actually, the internal factors that influence the foreign policy of Ukraine should not be underestimated. Nevertheless the existing neo-realist studies of Ukrainian foreign policy exaggerates the role of external factors and neglects the essential role of the inner ones. Hereby, the Ukranian foreign policy and the internal determinants of it are analyzed since 1991, with a focus on the post-Orange Revolution era. The impact of political, economic and cultural factors on Ukrainian foreign policy and the Crimean issue are also discussed.