This essay is meant as a response to the article “Will Nationalism Poison Ukraine’s New President?” by Nicolai N. Petro, published by the National Interest on July 12, 2019. It is written from Kyiv, Ukraine by Eli C. Kaul, a PhD Candidate in Political Science at Kent State University, conducting his dissertation fieldwork in Ukraine. Eli has studied the political and security systems of post-Soviet States for the past six years and has previously worked for the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research. His dissertation is on the “Evolution of the Security Services of Ukraine” since inheriting the role of the KGB.

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