EuroMaidan Revolution
William Risch: A Euro Revolution for the long haul?
I was in Kyiv December 14-22 to witness what has now been called Ukraine’s “Euro Revolution.” While Western media focused on the toppling of Kyiv’s Lenin monument, I knew there was more to the story. Student protests that had stared this revolution had slogans like “Nobody represents us.” One friend posted on Facebook a meme – styled on the British World War II air raid slogan, “Stay calm” – that said, “Don’t stay fucking calm, start a revolution.” Unlike the Orange Revolution of 2004, centered around a contested presidential election, these were protests coming spontaneously from below. They took the political opposition by complete surprise.