Caught In Seeking Freshmen,

This thesis is a comprehensive study of the subtle status and particular role of Ukraine as a sandwiched nation in contemporary international pattern of geo-politics and -economics. With human beings having crossed the threshold of the 21st century, the international pattern has undergone immense changes, resulting in profound and irrevocable disruption of international power balance. Therefore, traditional geo-politics theory can no longer keep up with the contemporary trend of economic globalization and regional collectivization.'Sandwiched nations'arise to the occasion amid the new structure of geo-politics, and become an importance variable in the geo-pattern in modern times. Owing to the subtle significance of geo-environment, those'sandwiched nations', with their decisions on geo-strategy, can influence directly the balance of international powers and the change of international geo-pattern.A historical review of Ukraine's geo-environment helps shed light on the developmental process of Ukraine's geo-political environment. In the 12th and 13th century, the Ukraine nation came into being in the warring and chaotic East European plain. Since the 13th century, it has been conquered, divided and annexed respectively by such powerful neighbors as Mongolia, Lithuania, Poland, Turkey, Germany, and Russia. However, the strong-willed Ukraine people managed to survive in the crack amid neighboring powers, and realized her dream to establish herself as an independent country in the chaos after the former Soviet Union dissolved.After her independence, Ukraine underwent profound changes in her geo-environment and geo-strategy status, and will go on to be confronted with a new round of challenges. After the Cold War, Ukraine'significant strategic location in the world geo-politics map predetermines her sandwiched position between the East and the West, and she unavoidably becomes the focal object of East-West competition. For Ukraine, her best choice is to be oriented towards the West, maintain stable harmony with the East, and merge into the European community in the long run. Amid the tides of economical globalization and regional collectivization,'sandwiched nations'should make use of their geo-advantage, focus on domestic affairs, strive to expand development space, and realize their powerful potential of geo-political-economical influence.