The Zelensky Effect

Abstract

Abstract How was Ukraine able to stand up and defend its independence against Russia's all-out invasion in 2022? One cannot understand these historic events without understanding Zelensky, the country and its people. What makes Zelensky most extraordinary in war is his very ordinariness as a Ukrainian, though he is "ordinary" in a way that not everyone could be, in part because of skills honed in a long career at the intersection of entertainment, media, and politics. The Zelensky Effect unpacks this paradox, exploring Ukraine's national history to show how its now-iconic president reflects the hopes and frustrations of the country's first 'independence generation.' Interweaving compelling episodes from Zelensky's life and career with data analysis and an informative history of independence-era Ukraine, it documents how Zelensky reflects and amplifies what social scientists call Ukraine's strong "civic" form of national identity. This is the inclusive sense of nationhood that led not only Zelensky but millions of Ukrainians to take huge personal risks to defeat the invading army. The book is structured around several critical junctures in Ukraine's and Zelensky's history, including Ukraine's appearance as an independent state in 1991, the Orange Revolution of 2004–5, the Euromaidan mass mobilization of 2013–14, the war with Russia after its 2014 annexation of Crimea, Zelensky's highly unusual 2019 election campaign, his presidency prior to 2022, and his rise to become the iconic wartime president he is today after Russia's February 24, 2022, assault. A concluding chapter examines prospects for a postwar Ukraine.