After the Color Revolutions: a Comparative Analysis of the Democratization Processes in Georgia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan

The color revolutions that occured in Georgia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan between 2003 and 2005 were celebrated as democratic breakthroughs in a region that was governed by (semi-) authoritarian rulers since the collapse of the communist regime. Civil society and student movements playes a decisive role during these events that led to the regime change. The subsequent processes of democratic consolidation however turned out to be rather strenuous and challenging. This book analyzes the democratic consolidation processes in these three countries in a comparative perspective and elaborates in a systematic way the similarities and differences as well as the most important democratic developments. The results reveal a rather disillusioning picture of the democratic achievements in Georgia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan since the color revolutions.