John (Ivan) Jaworsky. "Weaponizing" Federalism? Russia and the Debate on Federalism/Decentralization in Ukraine and Other Post-Soviet States

DATE: FRIDAY, 4 DECEMBER 2015 TIME: 7:00 PM VENUE: 3-58 PEMBINA HALL, UALBERTA

25 November 2015

There is a broad consensus on the need for administrative decentralization in Ukraine. Most discussions of this topic, however, downplay and sometimes demonize federalism as a viable option for the country, largely because of the way in which Russia's political leadership has aggressively promoted Ukraine's federalization.
To understand the nature of recent debates on decentralization/federalism in Ukraine, and Russia's role in these debates, it is important to examine the logic of Moscow's earlier proposals for the federalization of Georgia and Moldova, as well as the current state of federalism in the Russian Federation. The presentation will also briefly address the nature and implications of Ukraine's recent decentralization initiatives.

John (Ivan) Jaworsky is assistant professor in the Department of Political Science, University of Waterloo. His research interests include regional issues and inter-ethnic relations in Ukraine, the legacies of Soviet dissent in the post-Soviet region, and civil-military relations in Ukraine, with a particular interest in the significance of the Russian Black Sea Fleet base in Sevastopol.

DATE: FRIDAY, 4 DECEMBER 2015
TIME: 7:00 PM
VENUE: 3-58 PEMBINA HALL, UALBERTA