SUMMARY The rule of law represents a process that governments must undertake to ensure democracy, the preservation of human rights and economic freedom. This process-oriented approach to the rule of law requires governments to promote fair access, fair courts, fair laws, fair administration, and equal treatment under the law. These underlying principles should be adopted in all laws, policies and organizational frameworks. When these principles are not diligently applied, political destabilization occurs. While most countries in Europe have adopted this approach, Ukraine has struggled to consistently implement the rule of law. The former Ukrainian government's poor enforcement of the rule of law directly incited the EuroMaidan protests of 2013–2014, which resulted in the deaths of more than 100 Ukrainian activists. Specifically, the now-deposed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and the Ukrainian Parliament failed to implement the rule of law, but rather denied the public fair access to the justice system; undermined the integrity of the j...