Diffusion and civil society mobilisation in coloured revolutions

Abstract:

This article explores the dynamics of transnational diffusion and its influence on civil society mobilization in the “coloured revolutions” in Georgia and Ukraine. In the two countries, youth and civic movements that spearheaded mobilization efforts were closely modelled on the example of Otpor, the Serbian resistance group.

The article argues that emulation of Otpor’s techniques of mobilization was facilitated by favourable political conditions in Georgia and Ukraine. In explaining the mechanisms of diffusion, it focuses on the cognitive processes that allowed local activists to realize that similar actions would bring similar results despite cross-national differences in context. Finally, in two separate case studies, it traces the effects of diffusion on the formation of Kmara and Pora youth movements. The underlying argument of the article is that transnational diffusion, if coupled with favourable domestic context, can compensate for the relative weakness of civil society in triggering large-scale and effective collective action.