Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova A new misery curtain

摘要

It is not a new iron curtain yet, but the di-viding line looks increasingly solid all the same. Though democracy and the market have put down deep roots in much of ex-communist Europe, the three republics that once formed the western flank of the Soviet Union are plunging deeper into a spiral of authoritarianism and decay. After a decade of independence, this unhappy trio-Ukraine (population 50m), Belarus (10m) and Moldova (4.7m)-are a shambles. Russia is picking up the pieces.