The current wave of public protests could perhaps introduce a new long-lasting civic and pro-democracy movement in Ukraine. This movement could even influence the power elites to re-start reforms and integration with the EU. In order to be successful, the Euromaidan has to learn lessons of the Ukrainian civic movement of 2004, now called the ‘Maidan.’ The main lessons the Maidan taught us are peacefulness, promotion of solidarity, and re-integration of the country.

1. Peaceful protest. The Maidan did not give the ‘hawks’ from Kuchma's (Leonid Kuchma was Ukraine’s president from 1994 through 2004) administration the reasons for the use of force against the protesters in November 2004. It was the lack of violence that made the orange movement highly legitimate so that both internal and extern ... Read more »