An Enormous Task Ahead

The size and persistence of the protest movement that started in November has been amazing and admirable. I think it has greatly surprised not only almost all international observers but also most Ukrainian political and civil society activists

Violence at the Maidan

What is happening in Ukraine is a direct reaction to the lack of consideration of the authorities for the aspirations of its citizens to be part of Europe and to live in a country governed in accordance with democratic principles and respect for human rights

Too Little and Too Late

The title of this opinion piece does ring a bell, doesn’t it? It was Slavoj Žižek who said these words when he was asked to assess the USA and NATO bombing of Serbia during the war in the former Yugoslavia. Whereas quite a few public intellectuals and thinkers in Europe had second thoughts on NATO operations, the Slovenian philosopher didn’t bother to search for a softer phrase: “Too little and too late"

Eastern Gangstership

There are still many optimists who consider Yanukovych to be just a corrupt paranoid, who can be controlled by the oligarchy who are interested in accessing EU markets. Actually, Yanukovych is seeking violence as a way of pay back, revenge for his 2004 failure. He is using the whole state apparatus for this. He will keep talking about dialogue, but there are no democratic institutions for a dialogue in Ukraine as he usurped power back in 2010

Susan Stewart: “A plan B for Ukraine is only emerging now”

The EuroMaidan began as a protest against President Yanukovych’s decision to disrupt the Association Agreement with the EU. Over the past two months, it has escalated into resistance to the government and President Yanukovych himself

Are Sanctions an Answer?

Appeals for targeted sanctions against Ukrainian officials responsible for the violent crackdown of peaceful demonstrations and the use of force and persecution against journalists and protesters figure high in the messages of Ukrainian opposition, civil society and protesters of EuroMaidan to the West, in particular to the U.S. and to the EU. Apart from Yanukovych, his family members and state officials, the protesters call on the West to include business elites, so called oligarchs, supporting Yanukovych’s regime in the list of sanctioned individuals.

Dangerous Liaisons

So what are the December 17 deals with Russia? A victory or a defeat?

I very much doubt the Ukrainian landscape is going to look the same a year from now

Fundamentally, EuroMaidan represents a completely different form of social and political organization from Putin’s managed democracy

Mr. Putin may have won a victory in the geopolitical campaign that he is waging for Ukraine. It was, however, one battle, not the war

The European Union is not prepared to get into a bidding war with Russia for Ukraine. But it appears that the attraction of European living standards, rule of law and democracy remain strong with Ukrainians, particularly the young. Mr. Putin's Russia offers nothing that can compete with that.

What Happened to Ukraine?

The EU should apply a softer and wiser approach to Ukrainian society in terms of freedom of movement. No Ukrainian citizen should feel a poor cousin in EU countries