US-Ukraine Security Cooperation 1993-2001 A Case History

摘要

When President George Bush visited Kiev in August, 1991, and discouraged Ukrainian independence few in the Administration-with the exception of then Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney-thought a sovereign and independent Ukraine was possible.1 Since the establishment of Ukrainian independence, relations between the two sides have developed rapidly. While Ukraine has ineptly handled domestic political and economic reform and is plague by corruption its foreign and security policies have generally been a success. One of the pillars of its foreign policy has been a strong cooperative security relationship with the United States. Likewise, as the United States made little headway in other spheres (i.e., trade, combating corruption, foreign investment, promoting civil society, privatization and other economic reforms), the security relationship took on even greater significance in the relationship. Short of formal alliances, which would provoke Russia and perhaps cross a Russian red line, Ukraine has woven an intricate system of security 'partnerships' with its principal neighbor-Russia and Poland well as with the NATO alliance and the United States. Indeed, one of the pillars of Ukraine's foreign policy has been to pursue security cooperation with NATO and the United States to off-set the influence of Russia without actually going so far as to provoke Russian military or economic retaliation. Ukraine, by its own statements and actions, appears to have strategically set its sights on European and Trans-Atlantic integration, but it also appears willing to make tactical decisions from time to time to accommodate Russia. One such instance may have been the sacking of Foreign Minister Borys Tarasyuk who supposedly courted NATO too closely while giving short shrift to relations with Moscow. Ukraine has benefited from poor U.S.- Russian relations for most of the period following its independence.