Otpor! (Cyrillic: ОТПОР!, in English: Resistance!) was a pro-democracy youth movement in Serbia which has been widely credited for leading the eventually successful struggle to overthrow Slobodan Milošević in 2000. Otpors logo appeared on posters, flyres, badges, t-shirts and wall graffiti. ... The Cyrillic alphabet (or azbuka, from the old name of the first letters) is an alphabet used to write six natural Slavic languages (Belarusian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, Serbian, and Ukrainian) and many other languages of the former Soviet Union, Asia and Eastern Europe. ... Motto: none Anthem: Bože Pravde Capital Belgrade Largest city Belgrade Official language(s) Serbian1 Government Republic  - President Boris Tadić  - Prime Minister Vojislav KoÅ¡tunica Independence    - Formation of Serbia 850   - From the Ottoman Empire July 13, 1878   - Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes formed December 1, 1918   - Socialist Federal Republic... Slobodan MiloÅ¡ević Slobodan MiloÅ¡ević (Serbian Cyrillic: Слободан Милошевић, pronounced []); (20 August 1941 – 11 March 2006) was President of Serbia and of Yugoslavia. ...

It was formed on October 10, 1998 in response to repressive university and media laws introduced earlier that year. In the beginning, Otpor's activities were limited to University of Belgrade. October 10 is the 283rd day of the year (284th in Leap years). ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... University of Belgrade (in Serbian Универзитет у Београду) is the oldest and most important higher education institution in Belgrade and Serbia and Montenegro. ...

In the aftermath of NATO airstrikes against Yugoslavia and the Kosovo War, Otpor started a political campaign against the Yugoslav president Slobodan Milošević. This resulted in nationwide police repression against Otpor activists, during which almost 2000 of them were arrested and some of them beaten. During the presidential campaign in September 2000, Otpor launched its "Gotov je" (He's finished) campaign that galvanized Serbian discontent with Milošević and eventually resulted in his defeat. Some students who led Otpor (whose name means "Resistance" in the Serbian language) used Serb translations of Gene Sharp's writings on nonviolent action as a theoretical basis for their campaign. NATO 2002 Summit in Prague The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, the Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for collective security established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, DC, on 4 April 1949. ... The term Kosovo War or Kosovo Conflict is often used to describe two sequential and at times parallel armed conflicts (a civil war followed by an international war) in the southern Serbian province called Kosovo (officially Kosovo and Metohia), part of the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. ... Slobodan MiloÅ¡ević Slobodan MiloÅ¡ević (Serbian Cyrillic: Слободан Милошевић, pronounced []); (20 August 1941 – 11 March 2006) was President of Serbia and of Yugoslavia. ... The Serbian language is one of the standard versions of the Å tokavian dialect, used primarily in Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and by Serbs everywhere. ... Gene Sharp (born 1928) is a political scientist, author and founder of the Albert Einstein Institution, a non-profit organisation which studies and promotes the use of nonviolent action. ... Nonviolence (or non-violence) is a set of assumptions about morality conflict that leads its proponents to reject the use of violence in efforts to attain social or political goals. ...

Otpor became one of the defining symbols of anti-Milosevic struggle and his subsequent overthrow. The easily recognizeble clenched fist logo had an empowering visual effect, but it was their youthful exuberance and brave stand in face of persecution that won the most hearts and minds. By aiming their activities at the pool of youth abstinents and other dissillusioned voters, Otpor contributed to one of the biggest turnouts ever for the September 24, 2000 federal presidential elections. September 24 is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years). ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

Getting the traditional, old-school electorate to abandon Milosevic was another one of the areas where the smear-proof Otpor played a key role. It was one thing for Milosevic's propaganda machine to drag opposition leaders through the mud by calling them spies and traitors, but quite another when they tried the same with young Otpor activists. The tactic backfired, and all the brutal beatings and imprisonments during the summer of 2000 only further cemented the decision to vote against the regime in many voters' minds.

Post-Milošević

In the immediate months following October 5, Otpor members were the darlings of Serbia and international community. The clenched fist logo became the instant seal of approval, popping up just about anywhere imaginable. From people in the public eye (politicians, music performers, actors...) seeking positive attention by wearing Otpor t-shirts over to Partizan basketball club painting Otpor logo in the center circle for their FIBA Suproleague game - the clenched fist was omnipresent. This wide spread popularity inspired some truly bizzarre episodes of oppurtunism as variety of indviduals tied to Milosevic's regime sought to now ingratiate themselves with new DOS authorities by praising Otpor and its activities. The Bulldozer Revolution is the colloquial name for the series of events that occured in 2000 in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, that culminated with the downfall of Slobodan MiloÅ¡evićs regime. ... Motto: none Anthem: Bože Pravde Capital Belgrade Largest city Belgrade Official language(s) Serbian1 Government Republic  - President Boris Tadić  - Prime Minister Vojislav KoÅ¡tunica Independence    - Formation of Serbia 850   - From the Ottoman Empire July 13, 1878   - Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes formed December 1, 1918   - Socialist Federal Republic... TheParanoidOne 14:20, 4 Jun 2005 (UTC) Categories: Possible copyright violations ... The International Basketball Federation (French Fédération Internationale de Basketball) is an association of national organizations which governs international competitition in the sport. ... Suproleague was the FIBA European Basketball Champions Cup for the 2000/01 season. ... The Democratic Opposition of Serbia was an alliance of political parties in Serbia, formed as an alliance against the ruling Socialist Party of Serbia and its leader, Slobodan Milosevic. ...

Even MTV took notice, handing them a Free Your Mind award at the 2000 MTV Europe Music Awards in Stockholm. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The MTV Europe Music Awards were established in 1994 by MTV Europe to celebrate the most popular music videos in Europe. ... Stockholm panorama from the City Hall is the capital of Sweden, located on the south east coast of Sweden. ...

In the midst of all the praise, the movement promised to keep on and monitor corruption. Several new anti-corruption campaigns were started ('Samo vas gledamo', 'Bez anestezije', etc.) but it was clear Otpor experienced problems staying relevant on the transformed political scene of Serbia.

Otpor receives Free Your Mind award at 2000 MTV Europe Music Awards in Stockholm

It further didn't help when many prominent activists all but abandoned the movement in pursuit of political and diplomatic careers, substituting black washed-out shirts with designer suits. For example, Srdja Popovic, a man who jokingly referred to himself as Otpor's 'political commisar' was named as DOS MP after December 2000 parliamentary elections, as well as environmental advisor in the Serbian government led by Zoran Djindjic - posts seen by many to be Popovic's revolutionary reward. Image File history File links Otpor_FreeYourMind_MTV_jesen2000. ... Image File history File links Otpor_FreeYourMind_MTV_jesen2000. ... The MTV Europe Music Awards were established in 1994 by MTV Europe to celebrate the most popular music videos in Europe. ... Stockholm panorama from the City Hall is the capital of Sweden, located on the south east coast of Sweden. ... The Democratic Opposition of Serbia was an alliance of political parties in Serbia, formed as an alliance against the ruling Socialist Party of Serbia and its leader, Slobodan Milosevic. ... Zoran Đinđić Zoran Djindjic  listen (Zoran Đinđić, in Serbian Cyrillic: Зоран Ђинђић) (August 1, 1952 – March 12, 2003) was Serbian prime minister, long-time opposition politician and philosopher by profession. ...

Additionally, information started to appear during this time about substantial outside help, both in funds and logistics, that Otpor received leading up to the revolution. Its activists made regular trips to Budapest and St. Andreja in neighbouring Hungary throughout the year 2000 to receive training from people like US Army Col. Robert Helvey, a colleague of Sharp, and Daniel Serwer, program director for the Balkans at the US Institute for Peace. Otpor was also receipient of substantial funds from U.S. government affiliated organizations like National Endowment for Democracy (NED), International Republican Institute (IRI), and US Agency for International Development (USAID). Flag Seal Nickname: Paris of the East, Pearl of the Danubeor Queen of the Danube Location Location of Budapest in Hungary Government Country   County Hungary   none Mayor Gábor Demszky (SZDSZ) Geographical characteristics Area    - City 525,16 km²    - Land   n/a km²    - Water   n/a km² Population    - City (2005... The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... ... The National Endowment for Democracy, or NED, is non-profit organization which claims to help train people in democracy and manages money grants to that effect, which was founded in 1983. ... The International Republican Institute (IRI) is a nonprofit nonpartisan organization dedicated to advancing democracy, freedom, self-government and the rule of law worldwide. ... The United States Agency for International Development (or USAID) is the US government organization responsible for most non-military foreign aid. ...

In a November 2000 piece for New York Times Magazine, American journalist Roger Cohen talked to various officials from the above organizations about the extent of American assistance received by Otpor. Paul B. McCarthy from the Washington-based NED said Otpor received the majority of US$3 million spent by NED in Serbia from September 1998 until October 2000. At the same time, McCarthy himself held a series of meetings with Otpor's leaders in Podgorica, as well as Szeged and Budapest.[1] The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... Roger Cohen is a biweekly columnist for the International Herald Tribune, which is itself a publication of The New York Times. ... Flag Seal Nickname: the District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location Location of Washington, D.C., with regard to the surrounding states of Maryland and Virginia. ... The National Endowment for Democracy, or NED, is non-profit organization which claims to help train people in democracy and manages money grants to that effect, which was founded in 1983. ... Mayor Dr. Miomir MugoÅ¡a Area  - city  - municipality km² 1,399 km² Population  - city  - municipality 136,473 169,132 Time zone Summer Time CET (UTC +1) CEST (UTC +2) Founded 14th Century Latitude Longitude 42°47 N 19°28 E Area code +381 81 Car plates PG Official Website Podgorica... Votive Church Szeged (help· info) (in Serbian Segedin or Сегедин, in German Szegedin/Segedin, in Polish Segedyn, in Romanian Seghedin, in Slovak Segedín) is the fourth largest city of Hungary, the regional centre of South-Eastern Hungary and the capital of Csongrád county. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Paris of the East, Pearl of the Danubeor Queen of the Danube Location Location of Budapest in Hungary Government Country   County Hungary   none Mayor Gábor Demszky (SZDSZ) Geographical characteristics Area    - City 525,16 km²    - Land   n/a km²    - Water   n/a km² Population    - City (2005...

How much out of the US$25 million, appropriated in the year 2000 by USAID for the purposes of bringing down Milosevic, went to Otpor isn't clear. Donald L. Pressley, the assisstant administrator at USAID says several hundred thousand dollars were given to Otpor directly for "demonstration-support material, like T-shirts and stickers".[2] Otpor leaders intimated they also received a lot of covert aid -- a subject on which there was no comment in Washington. This article is about the year 2000. ... The United States Agency for International Development (or USAID) is the US government organization responsible for most non-military foreign aid. ...

Daniel Calingaert, official with IRI, said Otpor received some of the US$1.8 million his institute spent in Serbia throughout 2000. He also said he met Otpor leaders "7 to 10 times" in Montenegro and Hungary, beginning in October 1999.[3] The International Republican Institute (IRI) is a nonprofit nonpartisan organization dedicated to advancing democracy, freedom, self-government and the rule of law worldwide. ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

All this didn't resonate well with Serbian public. It eroded the widely held view of Otpor as spontaneous, grass-roots people's movement. Suddenly, in public mind, the once unblemished youthful organization had all kinds of asterisks.

Still, the biggest reason for Otpor's lack of success in the post-Milosevic years was their failure to formulate a coherent political program. Railing against Milosevic got them wide praise, but when it came time to channel all that popular support into a clear ideological position - a definite disconnect occurred. In short, it was always clear what Otpor was against, but most of the public had trouble understanding what this movement stood for now that Milosevic was gone.

In late 2003, ahead of the parliamentary elections, Otpor finally transformed into a political party, but the writing had been on the wall for quite some time already. The candidate list of "Otpor—Freedom, Solidarity and Justice" led by Čedomir Čupić did poorly, with only 62,116 votes (1.6% of total vote) in the Serbian parliamentary election, 2003, which left it out of the parliament (census required a minimum of 5%). 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Parliamentary elections were held in the Republic of Serbia on December 28, 2003. ...

It finally merged into the Democratic Party of Boris Tadić in September 2004. The Democratic Party (Serbian: Демократска странка or Demokratska stranka) is a social democratic political party in Serbia. ... Boris Tadić (Борис Тадић) (born 15 January 1958) is the President of Serbia, one of two constituent republics that were in in the former state of Serbia and Montenegro. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Lasting legacy

This article is part of the series: Republic of Serbia Image File history File links Coat_of_arms_of_Serbia. ... Motto: none Anthem: Bože Pravde Capital Belgrade Largest city Belgrade Official language(s) Serbian1 Government Republic  - President Boris Tadić  - Prime Minister Vojislav KoÅ¡tunica Independence    - Formation of Serbia 850   - From the Ottoman Empire July 13, 1878   - Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes formed December 1, 1918   - Socialist Federal Republic...

History of Serbia of Vojvodina of Kosovo Politics of Serbia of Vojvodina of Kosovo President Boris Tadić Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica Government National Assembly Political parties Elections Foreign relations Subdivisions Regions Districts Municipalities Economy Military Communications Culture Demographics Demographic history of Serbia of Vojvodina of Kosovo Transportation Geography of Serbia of Vojvodina of Kosovo Geographical regions Cities in Serbia in Vojvodina in Kosovo Villages Places A-M N-Z Mountains Rivers

See also: Portal:Politics view • talk • edit

In addition to greatly contributing to Slobodan Milošević's overthrow, Otpor will be remembered for emboldening other similar youth movements around Eastern Europe. This led some observers to label them "revolution exporters". Serbia was formerly an autonomous principality (1817–1878), independent principality (1878–1882), independent kingdom (1882–1918), part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (1918–1941) (since 1929 the Kingdom of Yugoslavia), nazi occupied puppet state (1941–1944), socialist republic within Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1945–1992) and... This is the history of Vojvodina. ... This article describes history of Kosovo. ... Politics of Serbia and Montenegro takes place in a framework of a federal parliamentary republic, with a multi-party system. ... This is article about politics of Vojvodina. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Flag of the President of Serbia The President of Serbia is the head of state of the Republic of Serbia. ... Boris Tadić (Борис Тадић) (born 15 January 1958) is the President of Serbia, one of two constituent republics that were in in the former state of Serbia and Montenegro. ... List of Prime Ministers of Serbia Current Prime Minister of Serbia is Vojislav KoÅ¡tunica. ... Dr. Vojislav KoÅ¡tunica (help· info) (Војислав Коштуница) (pronounced , born March 24, 1944) is the Prime Minister of the Government of Serbia, and a lawyer from Serbia and Montenegro. ... National Assembly of Serbia is the Serbian parliament. ... This article lists political parties in Serbia. ... Serbia elects on national level a legislature. ... Due to the Montenegrin independence referendum from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia and Montenegro will be inhereted, along with all of its holdings, by the Republic of Serbia. ... The Regions of Serbia // Present day regions Serbia map Today, Serbia is divided into three regions: Vojvodina, autonomous province (capital city: Novi Sad) Kosovo and Metohija, autonomous province (capital city: Pristina) Central Serbia, the part of Serbia that is neither in Kosovo nor in Vojvodina, and which is not an... Okruzi are the Districts of Serbia. ... Districts and Municipalities of Serbia Serbia is made up of 108 municipalities (opÅ¡tina). ... Telephones - main lines in use: 2,685,400 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 4,729,600 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 381; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 113, FM 194, shortwave 2 (1998) Television broadcast stations: more than 771... Serbian culture refers to the culture of Serbia as well as the culture of Serbians in other parts of the former Yugoslavia and elsewhere in the world. ... Ethnic map of Serbia // Demographics of Serbia Population of Serbia (including Kosovo) Serbs 66% Albanians 17% Hungarians 3. ... Ethnic map of Serbia Demographics of Serbia Population of Serbia (including Kosovo) Serbs 66% Albanians 17% Hungarians 3. ... Vojvodinas demographic history reflects its rich history and its former location at the border of the Ottoman and Habsburg empires and at the confluence of various peoples, making it a hotbed of invasion, colonization, and assimilation processes. ... // Ottoman Rule 14th century The Dečani Charter from 1330[citation needed] contained detailed list of households and chartered villages in Metohija and northwestern Albania: 3 of 89 settlements were Albanian, the other being non-Albanian. ... map of Serbia Serbia is located in the Balkans (a historical and geographical region of southeastern Europe) and in the Pannonian Plain (a region of central Europe). ... a image from Vojvodina Vojvodina is located in the Pannonian plain (a region of central Europe). ... For other uses, see Kosovo (disambiguation). ... Geographical regions in Serbia This is a list of some of Geographical regions in Serbia. ... This is a list of cities in Serbia and Montenegro. ... This is a list of inhabited places of Vojvodina. ... Citys of Kosova This is the list of cities of Kosovo. ... This is a list of villages in Serbia which have articles. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article is 200 KB or more in size. ... This is a list of mountains in Serbia and Montenegro. ... This is a list of the rivers of Serbia, either they are flowing entirely or partially within Serbia proper, or just being a border rivers. ...

Otpor members were instrumental in inspiring and providing hands-on training to several other civic youth organizations in Eastern Europe and elsewhere, including Kmara in the Republic of Georgia (itself partly responsible for the downfall of Eduard Shevardnadze), Pora in Ukraine (which was part of the Orange Revolution), Zubr in Belarus (opposing the president Alexander Lukashenko), MJAFT! in Albania, Oborona in Russia (opposing the president Vladimir Putin), KelKel in Kyrgyzstan (active in the revolution that brought down the president Askar Akayev), Bolga in Uzbekistan (opposing Islom Karimov), Pulse of Freedom in Lebanon, and Gong in Croatia. Current division of Europe into five (or more) regions: one definition of Eastern Europe is marked in orange Eastern Europe is an eastern region of Europe variably defined. ... Kmara flag Kmara (Georgian: კმარა) is a civic resistance movement in the republic of Georgia which undermined the government of Eduard Shevardnadze. ... Georgia (Georgian: საქართველო Sakartvelo), known from 1991 to 1995 as the Republic of Georgia, is a country to the east of the Black Sea in the southern Caucasus. ... Eduard Amvrosiyevich Shevardnadze (Georgian: ედუარდ შევარდნაძე, Russian: Эдуа́рд Амвро́сьевич Шевардна́дзе; pronounced ed-oo-ard am-vro-see-ye-vitch she-va-rd-nad-zuh) (born 25 January 1928) is a Georgian politician. ... The rising sun of Pora! symbolizes a new dawn Pora! (Ukrainian: ), meaning ITS TIME! in Ukrainian, is a civic youth organization in Ukraine espousing nonviolent resistance and advocating increased national democracy, in opposition to what they claimed was the authoritarian governing style of Ukraines president Leonid Kuchma. ... Orange-clad supporters of Viktor Yushchenko gather in Independence Square in Kiev. ... Zubr (Belarusian: ЗУБР) is a civic youth organization in Belarus in opposition to President Aleksandr Lukashenko. ... Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko or Alaksandar Ryhoravič Lukashenka (Belarusian: , Russian: ) (born August 30, 1954) has been the President of Belarus since 1994. ... MJAFT! (Albanian for enough) is a nonpolitical organization in Albania that aims to raise awareness of the many political and social problems facing Albania. ... Oborona (Cyrillic: Оборона) is a non-partisan civic youth movement in Russia. ... (Russian: Влади́мир Влади́мирович Пу́тин, Vladímir Vladímirovich Pútin; born October 7, 1952) is a Russian politician, and the current President of the Russian Federation. ... KelKel is a youth resistance movement in the republic of Kyrgyzstan. ... Askar Akayev Askar Akayevich Akayev (Аскар Акаевич Акаев) (born November 10, 1944 in Kyzyl-Bairak, Kirghiz SSR) served as President of Kyrgyzstan from 1990 to March 2005, when he was deposed by a popular uprising dubbed the Tulip Revolution. ... Islam Karimov Islam Abduganievich Karimov (also transliterated as Islom Karimov) (born January 30, 1938) is the President of Uzbekistan (since 1991). ...

See also

• Liberal revolutionary movements in post-communist Eastern Europe

Color revolutions or Flower revolutions are the names given collectively to a series of related movements that have developed in post-communist societies in Central and Eastern Europe and are possibly spreading elsewhere. ...

External links

• Otpor website
• Canvas, heir of Otpor in Belgrade
• Otpor: the youths who booted Milosevic
• Bringing Down a Dictator; A Force More Powerful: Otpor and other non-violent resistance experiences
• Who Really Brought Down Milosevic? by Roger Cohen, New York Times Magazine, November 26, 2000
• From Dictatorship to Democracy, by Gene Sharp (Serbian, English)

• Interview with Ivan Marovic Feral Tribune, February 9, 2006