The US-UA WG Yearly Summit
As originally contemplated, the US-UA Working Group Yearly Summit (initially named the US-UA Leadership Summit) was intended as a venue for focusing attention on the four categories of interest named in the US-Ukraine Strategic Partnership Charter
(and incidentally reflected in CUSUR’s ‘analytic sectors’): politics/diplomacy, economics, security and historical/culturological issues; the effort”s ultimate objective was to find/suggest ways to strengthen ties between the two countries in the near/far future.
(and incidentally reflected in CUSUR’s ‘analytic sectors’): politics/diplomacy, economics, security and historical/culturological issues; the effort”s ultimate objective was to find/suggest ways to strengthen ties between the two countries in the near/far future.
The event intended to involve the participation of all 20 of the ‘experts’ from the US side associated with the US-UA Working Group as well as their 20 counterparts from the Ukrainian side. It would also include 20 selected guest “specialists” from the CUSUR run Ukraine”s Euro-Atlantic Future Forum Series (hence, in reality, “UA experts” from EU and Canada). Finally, it would include up to 20 CUSUR patrons (Meczenats) as well as prominent “Hromada” activists (with selection determined ‘by lot’) as ‘invited observers’.
Over time (2012-2013), the Summit evolved a new and somewhat different task: to provide a yearly six subject report card” on Ukraine”s progress/regress with regard to robust democratic politics, developed market economics, viable social cohesion, ever greater energy security, ever greater general security and an established (yet tolerant) national identity”; its recalibrated goal become to take accurate measure” of the status of the US-Ukrainian relations going forward. The step was taken because of repeated reports that the prevailing Ukrainian political leadership was “backsliding” in several of the outlined categories.
In 2012, a dress rehearsal was run as part of the UA Quest for Mature Nation Statehood RT Series-somewhat appropriately given that any “backsliding” would in fact impact on the quest in question. 2013 saw the successful launch of the gathering as a “stand-alone” endeavor under the brand name: US-UA WG Yearly Summit. In 2014, CUSUR”s second running of the Summit corroborated its commitment to the new series.
The 2014 event also confirmed that an “annual situational update assessment” on Ukraine would be necessary even after the “backsliding” UA leadership had been removed by the Euro Maidan”s “Revolution of Dignity” and replaced by a political class committed to full internal reform plus (renewed efforts at) integration into the Euro-Atlantic Community. Given the emerging persistence of Russia”s “stealth intrusion” into Ukraine (indicating that RU might not relent for a long time), steady/regular monitoring of the condition of the Ukrainian state was a “must do” proposition.
In 2015, CUSUR intends to create an “official report card” as well as prepare an edited/annotated transcript of the proceedings and distribute the combined material to the various US governmental and non-governmental agencies and institutions that have an interest in Ukraine. The material”s translated counterpart will in likewise fashion be distributed in Ukraine-obviously, to those Ukrainian institutions that retain an interest in working with the US. Additionally, the Center intends to “formally expand the US-UA WG”s activity into six analytic sectors” (to properly reflect the categories under consideration at the Summit).