Newly released Policy Paper on Protest Movements

Across the globe, new types of protest movements are emerging. They arise suddenly, are often organized through social networks and mobile data transfer, and bring large crowds together very quickly. They reflect the disappointment and the growing gap between citizens and the political elite. They are a manifestation of the demands for more democracy and more participation. They force NGOs as well as state actors to rethink their roles and actions. During his fellowship in 2014, Ivan Krastev, Chairman of the Center for Liberal Strategies in Sofia, organized a series of workshops with individuals from protest movements, representatives of NGOs and governmental organizations from Spain, Bulgaria, Russia, the Ukraine and Turkey. The aim of the workshops was to analyze the new forms of protest, their common features and their consequences. The Center for Liberal Strategies has published the workshops’ results in a Policy Paper titled „The Politics of Protest: Between the Venting of Frustration and Transformation of Democracy“.