This monograph analyzes the interconnections between the democratization institutionalization of the newly independent states on the examples of Ukraine, Georgia, and Belarus, their political (in)stability, and economic development and prosperity. By introducing the concept of regime mimicry into the field of public administration, this monograph extends the epistemological frameworks of the democratization school to the phenomenon of political culture. Successes and failures of the democratic institutionalization processes in these countries largely depend on the ways their institutional actors reacted to internal and external disturbances of their domestic political, economic and cultural environments. While Georgia's political culture revealed the highest degree of flexibility in accepting the externally-proposed institutional frameworks and practices, the bifurcate political culture in Ukraine impeded its democratic institutionalization, while the rigid political culture in Belarus completely stalled the process of institutional transformations.

The three patterns of political cultures identified in the monograph can be easily generalized and applied in most instances of new nation-building projects. The recommendations for the U.S. military and the government produced by this analysis provide the roadmap for short- and long-term partnerships in the countries of post-Soviet space. Students pursuing coursework and research for assignments relating to Public Administration, American Foreign Affairs, United States Defense Establishment, Comparative Governments, Military Science, or Comparative Politics may be interested in this resource.


About the Author: ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ROBERT NALBANDOV is currently an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the Utah State University where he teaches the courses on U.S. foreign policy and European and Russian politics and security. Since 2008, he has taught at Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota; University of St. Andrews, Scotland; University of Birmingham, England; Smolny College of Liberal Arts, St. Petersburg University, Russia; and Center for Security Studies, Angelo State University, Texas. Dr. Nalbandov is the author of Foreign Interventions in Ethnic Conflicts (Ashgate Publishing, 2009) and numerous articles on international and regional security, counterterrorism and U.S. foreign policy. He is currently working on his new book entitled Russia's New Foreign Policy (University of Nebraska Press, forthcoming). Dr. Nalbandov holds a Ph.D. in political science from the Central European University, Budapest, Hungary.