This two-part research project analyzes U.S. foreign policy during the Ukraine Crisis from the viewpoint of loyalty to democracy. By applying the standards expected of loyal opposition parties to the U.S., the foreign policy approach taken is shown to have been disloyal to Ukraineʼs fragile democracy, as it contributed to an undemocratic transition of power in the form of a coup dʼétat. Ultimately, the failure of the U.S. to remain loyal to Ukraine’s democratic process (the way a “loyal opposition state” would have) is explained by the Obama administrationʼs liberal imperialist approach to foreign policy, whose first loyalty was to U.S. interests, not Ukrainian political sovereignty.

Keywords: Ukraine Crisis; democracy; loyal opposition; U.S. foreign policy; liberal imperialism