ABSTRACT
Given the widespread skepticism one finds among “experts” concerning the very viability of Ukraine as an independent nation-state, the dire warnings about the dangers of Ukrainian nationalism, and the interjected references to Bosnia and nuclear disaster when discussing the Crimea question, to pose the question of the chances of democratic consolidation in Ukraine would seem a provocative, almost futile exercise.1 My aim in this chapter, nonetheless, is to inject some cautious optimism into the discussion and argue that there are compelling signs indicating that a democratic political order is being established in post-Soviet Ukraine.
