Twenty-five years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Europe again echoes to the sound and fury of revolution. Back in 1989 the collapse of the wall heralded the end of the cold war. Much of central and eastern Europe escaped Soviet hegemony and walked peacefully into the embrace of the European Union. The insurrectionary drama unfolding in Ukraine is still in its early days. Several acts lie ahead. But even when set against the epic events of 1989, its historic significance cannot be dismissed. This is a moment of immense opportunity – and immense danger – for Ukraine, for the EU and for Russia. More than any single moment since the collapse of the Soviet bloc, the revolution that began in Kiev heralds “the hour of Europe”.
柏林圍牆倒塌25年後，革命的喧譁與騷動之聲再次迴響在歐洲上空。1989年柏林圍牆倒塌預示著冷戰結束，中歐和東歐大部分地區脫離了蘇聯統治，和平地投入歐盟(EU)懷抱。如今，烏克蘭動亂大戲纔剛開頭，還有好多幕沒演。但就算是與1989年的歷史性事件相比，烏克蘭本次事件的歷史重要性也不容忽視。無論是對烏克蘭、歐盟還是俄羅斯而言，眼下都是個巨大機遇和巨大風險並存的時刻。自蘇聯解體以來，從來沒有哪個事件比這場從基輔開始的革命更加明確地昭示著「歐洲時刻」的到來。