Rebuilding Ukraine – Hopes and Fears

When the guns fall silent, how can Ukraine restore its physical, economic and social landscape and escape the post-Soviet legacy of corruption?

As Russian missiles destroy Ukrainian homes, livelihoods, and essential services, Ukraine has been constantly rebuilding. The country will face an even bigger job when the guns eventually fall silent—to rebuild the shattered physical infrastructure and heal traumatized bodies, minds, and communities. Ukrainian and international politicians, thought leaders and activists envision the reconstruction process as an opportunity to build a renewed Ukraine: an environmentally green, high-tech country that has shed the vestiges of Soviet-era corruption and patronage politics, cares for the widows and the disabled, includes Ukrainians of any ethnic and language background, and encourages and capitalizes on the flourishing civil society initiatives that have helped the country survive the war. How can Ukraine and its supporters fund, organize and carry out those visions? Ukrainian and international policymakers, investors and thought leaders are full of ideas for addressing  economic and politi…