Eine willkommene Kehrtwende in der Ukraine

Writing at *Persuasion*, [Michael McFaul](https://www.hoover.org/profiles/michael-mcfaul) examines the recent protests against the Zelenskyy government in Ukraine following its attempt to “strip two of Ukraine’s anti-corruption institutions—the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office—of their independence by placing them under the direct control of Ukraine’s prosecutor general.” As McFaul notes, “Massive demonstrations against the government mobilized immediately—the biggest against Zelenskyy since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.” Following the protests, Zelenskyy backed down. McFaul reflects on how the episode has challenged his thinking on American promotion of democracy abroad and the health of America’s own democratic system and civil society. The former ambassador to Russia writes in conclusion, “For decades, we Americans thought we had something to teach Ukrainians about democracy. Instead, it looks like we could learn some things from small-*d* democrats in Ukraine.”