Revolution in Orange

by Aslund, Anders; McFaul, Michael

• ISBN13: 9780870032219
• ISBN10: 0870032216
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-03-01
• Publisher: Carnegie Endowment for Intl Peace

Summary

The dramatic series of protests and political events that unfolded in Ukraine in the fall of 2004 --the "Orange Revolution" --were seminal both for Ukrainian history and the history of democratization. Pro-Western presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko was poisoned with dioxin, an industrial pollutant that left him weakened and horribly disfigured. When this assassination attempt failed, the Kremlin-backed ruling party resorted to voter intimidation and massive electoral fraud to win the runoff election. Supporters of Yushchenko responded with a series of strikes, sit-ins, and marches throughout Ukraine. Thanks in large part to this peaceful revolution, the election results were annulled. In a second runoff, Yushchenko was elected as the new president.Revolution in Orange seeks to explain why and how this nationwide protest movement occurred. Its effects have already been felt from Kyrgyzstan to Lebanon and are likely to travel even further. Yet few predicted or anticipated such a dramatic democratic breakthrough in Ukraine. This volume attempts to distinguish between necessary and facilitating factors in the success of the Orange Revolution. It also discusses the elements that have been commonly assumed to be critical but, in fact, were not instrumental in the movement. Chapters explore the role of former President Kuchma and the oligarchs, societal attitudes, the role of the political opposition and civil society, the importance of the media, and the roles of Russia and the West. Contributors include Nadia Diuk (National Endowment for Democracy), Adrian Karatnycky (Freedom House), Taras Kuzio (George Washington University), Hrihoriy Nemyria (Taras Shevchenko National University, Kiev), Pavol Demes (German Marshall Fund), Nikolai Petrov and Andrey Ryabov (Carnegie Moscow Center), and Olena Prytula (editor, Ukrainskaya Pravda).

Table of Contents

Foreword	vii
Jessica T. Mathews
Map of Ukraine	ix
Introduction: Perspectives on the Orange Revolution	1	(8)
Anders Aslund
Michael McFaul
The Ancien Regime: Kuchma and the Oligarchs	9	(20)
Anders Aslund
The Fall and Rise of Ukraine's Political Opposition: From Kuchmagate to the Orange Revolution	29	(16)
Adrian Karatnycky
Everyday Ukrainians and the Orange Revolution	45	(24)
Taras Kuzio
The Triumph of Civil Society	69	(16)
Nadia Diuk
Pora---``It's Time'' for Democracy in Ukraine	85	(18)
Pavol Demes
Joerg Forbrig
The Ukrainian Media Rebellion	103	(22)
Olena Prytula
Western Influence	125	(20)
Oleksandr Sushko
Olena Prystayko
Russia's Role in the Orange Revolution	145	(20)
Nikolai Petrov
Andrei Ryabov
Conclusion: The Orange Revolution in a Comparative Perspective	165	(32)
Michael McFaul
Acknowledgments	197	(2)
Appendix: Election Results	199	(4)
Index	203	(12)
About the Contributors	215	(2)
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace	217
Chronology of the Orange Revolution fold-out
Who's Who in Ukraine fold-out