Ukrainian civil society is vital, acting beyond watchdog roles to drive change, innovate, and sustain the nation amid war and weak state institutions.
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Understanding Ukraine, especially during wartime, requires examining the role of its extensive civil society. The author argues that Western views of Ukraine are inadequate because the country is a fundamentally different entity. Ukrainian society is shaped by three factors: being a “multifrontier” at the intersection of various cultures and systems; a history marked by long periods of statelessness; and a post-colonial, post-genocidal experience, unlike the assimilatory empires of Europe. This history has fostered a society that relies on strong horizontal ties rather than state authority.
In Ukraine, civil society performs roles beyond the traditional “watchdog” function; it acts as the primary driver of change when the government fails, serves as a “public policy customer,” and is a major source of innovation due to weak state institutions. This capacity has been crucial in the defense of the country, where volunteers provided manpower, supplies, and innovative military technology, and in managing the massive humanitarian crises of refugees and internally displaced persons. Civil society also drives non-military efforts, such as reconstruction, combating disinformation, and advocating for Ukrainian interests abroad.
Despite its strength, this civil society faces challenges, including a lack of formal institutional structure, resource exhaustion, and the inability to translate its high level of trust into direct political power. The author concludes that while Ukraine faces immense challenges, its resilient civil society represents a potential “third way” for modernization. The piece advises Western politicians to recognize civil society as a vital participant in any meaningful engagement with Ukraine and urges Western societies to study the Ukrainian experience in preparation for extraordinary global challenges.
