Third-Party Considerations in U.S. Bilateral Relations: Four Case Studies Examining the Presence of the Moscow Factor in U.S. Policy Toward Sovereign Ukraine
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2021
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Abstract
The purpose of this instrumental multicase study, which relies on the structured, focused comparison method, is to explore whether, how, with what impact, and under what circumstances Washington’s Moscow-related considerations have factored in policy toward sovereign Ukraine. It does so by examining four key Ukraine-related policy decision points across the George H. W. Bush, Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama Administrations. This study relies on data generated by a review of documentary evidence, supplemented by practitioner interviews. It fills a gap in existing scholarship, which has tended to focus on bilateral dynamics without a more rigorous exploration of the key questions posed.