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Perceptions of NATO in Ukraine
By Oleksandr Sushko
Abstract
Public perceptions of NATO in Ukraine are determined by very contradictory governmental policy towards NATO as well as diverse and heterogeneous massive of information available. Stereotypes of the past co-exist in public opinion with NATO-optimism of younger generations and educated people. Experts' assessments also differ much from public ones.
President Kuchma's decision to include (in June 2004) and then to exclude (in July 2004) a notion of NATO membership from the Military Doctrine of Ukraine is a symbol of official Ukraine's inconsistency.
There is no common point of view on NATO in Ukraine. This issue is still being strongly debated, including political debates within presidential campaign of 2004.
The favourites (Victor Yushchenko and Victor Yanukovich) try to avoid any statement on NATO taking into account existing uncertainty of public perceptions. Some marginal contenders for presidency (Vitrenko, Basylyuk) build their rhetoric on strong NATO-criticism, exploiting legacy of Soviet myths about NATO as an "aggressive military block". However their efforts are unlikely to accumulate more then 2-3% of votes.
This analysis is based on profound public opinion survey of Razumkov Centre for Economic and Political Studies published in National Security and Defense journal (Issue 8 (32), 2002, authors - Mykhailo Pashkov and Valery Chaly), Democratic Initiatives Foundation and Taylor Nelson Sofres Ukraine conducted the poll in December 2002 (1200 respondents polled). Fragments of author's paper Correlation of the Domestic Policy Processes in Ukraine and its Relations with NATO: Ukrainian Experts' View (Ukrainian Monitor, October 2002, Policy paper 20/2002) was also used.