Ukraine

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Since its independence in 1991, Ukraine has been transitioning into a fully functioning democracy.  Since the 2004 Orange Revolution, Ukraine has made great gains in developing a string civil society, independent media, and citizens enjoy basic human rights of freedom of religious worship and the right to travel.  At the same time, Ukraine’s democracy building has suffered from persistent political infighting and instability.  Ukraine’s highly politicized environment was only exacerbated by the severe global economic crisis, which paralyzed the Ukrainian economy in September 2008. This situation is likely to continue until the January 2010 presidential elections are held.