Spirit of '48

Remember all of the 'revolutions' (Orange, Cedar, Purple, Rose, etc) of 2003-2005? It was a heady time, but always nagging at the back of my mind was 1848. 1848 was a revolutionary year in Europe, and with it came hopes of more liberal governments. Their effects were felt for a long while, but ultimately, they almost all failed. That was what was nagging at me-the very real prospect that the revolutions could be short lived. As it regards the Orange Revolution of 2004 in the Ukraine, that very thing may be happening:

LESS than 15 months after he was forced from power by crowds of pro-democracy protesters, a former communist hardliner is finalising his plans to end Ukraine’s orange revolution.

Viktor Yanukovich, 55, the former prime minister whose presidential campaign in 2004 ended in humiliation when he stepped down amid allegations of electoral fraud, is expected to win the largest number of votes for his party when Ukraine elects a new parliament later this month.

His astonishing comeback has severely undermined the authority of Viktor Yushchenko, 52, the embattled pro-western president and hero of the orange revolution. Yanukovich has promised to steer Ukraine away from the West and back into Russia’s sphere of influence.

One can only hope that if the revolutions of the 2003-2005 period all peter out that they will at least have a long term peaceful influence.