With Russian shells raining on Kyiv and tanks closing in, American forces stood ready to evacuate Ukraine’s neophyte leader, a man whose main qualification just three years earlier seemed to be having played a president on TV. But in what became an international rallying cry, Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly retorted ‘I need ammunition, not a ride’. Ukrainian forces then won the battle for Kyiv, ensuring their country’s future independence even as a longer battle for its southeast set in. You cannot understand the historic events of 2022 without understanding Zelensky. But the Zelensky effect is less about the man himself than about the civic nation in which he was born and that he embodies. In fact, what makes Zelensky most extraordinary in war is his very ordinariness as a Ukrainian, though paradoxically he is ‘ordinary’ in a way few others could be.
The Zelensky Effect explains this paradox, exploring Ukraine’s national history to show how he reflects and expresses the hopes and frustrations of its first ‘independence generation.’ Interweaving social science, historical narrative, and compelling episodes from Zelensky’s life and performances, this book presents a story of leadership and national identity in the face of corruption and war.
‘The go-to book for grasping Ukrainians’ morale in the face of Russian aggression, and the determination of their president, who has demonstrated atmospheric levels of heroism and leadership — perhaps unlike any other in the world in recent decades.’ — Marc Berenson, Senior Lecturer at King’s Russia Institute, King’s College London
‘This wonderfully written and engaging book documents the emergence of Ukrainian civic national identity, best exemplified by Zelensky. A must-read for anyone wishing to understand contemporary Ukraine and what Ukrainians believe, value and fight for.’ — Eugene Finkel, Kenneth H. Keller Associate Professor of International Affairs, Johns Hopkins University
‘Drawing on years of research on Ukrainian politics and society, this timely study paints a fuller picture of Zelensky and the conditions that made him who he is today, and deserves a wide readership at this critical moment in European history.’ — Gwendolyn Sasse, Director of the Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS)
About the Author :
Olga Onuch is Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of Manchester and Henry E. Hale is Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University.
Review :
'[Ukraine] is now led by men and women like Zelensky in their thirties and forties, whom Olga Onuch and Henry E. Hale describe in The Zelensky Effect as the Independence Generation—those for whom the achievement of Ukrainian independence was a formative political experience.'
'[A] deeply researched and well-argued book [that] locate[s] the roots of Zelensky's ability to captivate and mobilize the imagination of his fellow citizens in the rise of Ukrainian civic identity.'
‘Refreshingly data-driven and convincing on why [Zelensky's] brand of Ukrainian-ness – emphasising “civic duty, the importance of Ukraine’s diversity, and the common quotidian experiences that bound Ukrainians together” – has such appeal.’
‘A definitive portrait not of a man but of a nation.’
'Onuch and Hale artfully combine Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky's biography and a chronicle of Ukraine's post communist development, rich with empirical data and rigorous research.'
'Packed with statistical analysis of polling data, social media posts, articles, and speeches, this book answers many questions about how unified resistance on the ground has repelled the mightier Russian military.'
‘Smoothly written and engaging enough for anyone who wants to better understand the past year in Ukraine.’
'The go-to book for grasping Ukrainians' morale in the face of Russian aggression, and the determination of their president, who has demonstrated atmospheric levels of heroism and leadership--perhaps unlike any other in the world in recent decades.'
'This wonderfully written and engaging book documents the emergence of Ukrainian civic national identity, best exemplified by Zelensky. A must-read for anyone wishing to understand contemporary Ukraine and what Ukrainians believe, value and fight for.'
'Drawing on years of research on Ukrainian politics and society, this timely study paints a fuller picture of Zelensky and the conditions that made him who he is today, and deserves a wide readership at this critical moment in European history.'
'An essential book for understanding how a critical mass of Ukrainians converged around a vision of Ukraine grounded in democratic ideals, a European future and sovereign statehood.'
'Furnishing significant insight into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, this sheds light as well on one of the most important (and improbable) leaders of the twenty-first century.'
