Ukraine under Kuchma is the first survey of recent developments in post-soviet Ukraine. The book covers in an in-depth manner the entire range of key developments since the 1994 parliamentary and presidential elections, the first elections held in post-soviet Ukraine. The new era ushered in by these elections led to Ukraine's launch of radical economic and political reforms which aim to domestically dismantle soviet power within Ukraine, stabilise relations with the separatist Crimean region and normalise relations with Russia and the West.

An innovator in theoretical approaches in the social sciences, Stein Rokkan developed general models, developmental models, and conceptual maps that specified the main variables and important relationships in European political history. In Historical Sociology, Arne Kommisrud tests these general hypotheses against specific historical and regional contexts. He uses the case of Eastern Europe after the downfall of the Berlin Wall to extend the geography of the model's range, and introduces possibilities for theoretical modification through an analysis of sequential interactions. Covering a period from the Middle Ages through the 1990s, and addressing phenomena overlooked by Rokkan such as statebuilding and nationalism, this book demonstrates that Rokkan's models continue to be relevant to modern political science and sociology. Kommisrud's study is a valuable contribution to Rokkanian approaches and the understanding of Eastern European development within the historical and geographic context of Europe as a whole.

The book addresses achievements, challenges and problems of Ukraine's foreign and security policy since 1990/91. Emphasis is put on the bilateral relations with Russia as well as Ukraine's policies aimed at enhancing its position in the Central Eastern European region and integration into Western and Euro-Atlantic structures.

Covering a period from the Middle Ages through the 1990s, and addressing phenomena overlooked by Rokkan such as statebuilding and nationalism, this book demonstrates that Rokkan's models continue to be relevant to modern political science and sociology. Kommisrud's study is a valuable contribution to Rokkanian approaches and the understanding of Eastern European development within the historical and geographic context of Europe as a whole.