ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the analysis of key political developments in Ukraine on the eve of the Orange revolution, and trends in institution building that determined the political process in post-orange Ukraine. It then shows how the emerging democratic rules of the game moved Ukraine closer to European practice, that is a balance of power, free elections, cohabitation, coalition building, and, at the same time, made the situation unstable in the post-Soviet environment. Then it also discusses the role of the Russian factor, the policies and strategies of accommodation used by Ukrainian leaders, and their results for internal and regional politics. The end of political crisis proved that in Ukrainian politics after the Orange Revolution attempts of one force at that time, the Party of Regions to monopolize power created the opposite effect; therefore, no political force in Ukraine is able to monopolize power and dictate its will.
