And excellent example of a regional study where politics and economics cannot be separated, and thus have been successfully analyzed in the context of each other. D'Anieri does a good job of combining general overview of the Ukrainian-Russian relations and their development throughout history with the detailed and in-depth study of the political and economic issues that Ukraine is currently facing as a result of a deep interdependence with Russia. I particularly enjoy the way this study ties the history of broken trust and fear of imperialistic aspirations into the process of decision making by Ukrainian leadership. The astute identification of essential areas of problems and the thoroughness in explaining their causes makes this book a great help for those interested in the future prospects of the region.