ASP in the News: COO Matthew Wallin and Senior Research Scientist Courtney Manning Discuss Ukraine’s Future in The Hill
On December 20th, ASP COO Matthew Wallin and Senior Research Scientist Courtney Manning co-published an op-ed in The Hill discussing Zelensky’s use of emergency measures since the invasion of Ukraine. Noting the practicality of some of these measures, Wallin and Manning caution against their expansion. They write:
“Though emergency measures are warranted given the need to consolidate capacity and agency against a much larger adversary, these efforts may jeopardize Ukraine’s democratic trajectory in the long run. As Ukraine fights ferociously to maintain its independence from Russia, it must be wary of taking actions that could ultimately re-shape the country into a mirror of the model it’s fighting against — an oligarchy run by a central authority with no true accountability, supported by a small group of state-run enterprises.”
Explaining the risks of the continued expansion of emergency measures, Wallin and Manning argue that:
“Whether Ukraine manages to evict Russian occupying forces from its territory or negotiates an end to the conflict, it will have to shift from an aid-driven wartime economy to a functioning, free market economy that supports its society as well as its European Union (EU) and NATO aspirations.”
Read the full op-ed at The Hill.
