Most of central and eastern Europe has made excellent progress towards democratic capitalism, but a few countries in the region seem determined to cling to their oppressive, authoritarian legacies. In particular these countries are Ukraine and Belarus. How Europe and the international community deal with these two countries is a crucial test of European unity and the triumph of liberty over tyranny.
Ukraine's restored tilt towards dictatorship began almost the instant the former Soviet republic left the Union. Ukraine's first elected President Leonid Kravchuk tried to develop a free market system, but the dismal economy forced him to impose some "emergency" measures which were never repealed. Mr. Kravchuk's term featured many changes of government that left Ukraine with no sense of stability.
Ukraine's next President was Leonid Kuchma. Now in his ninth year in power, Mr. Kuchma has presided over a downward spiral into corruption and questionable dealings. Whereas Mr. Kravchuk disclosed information about Soviet era nuclear materials storage, Mr. Kuchma allegedly has provided that information and other scientific data to rogue states such as Iraq. Ukraine's economy has not improved significantly, and the "free and fair" part of free and fair elections is very much in doubt. The price of political dissent is death - concealed by the thick veil of political intrigue and official cover-up.
As bleak as the situation in Ukraine is, the situation in Belarus is much worse. The ultimate economic crisis case, Belarus did not attempt experimentation with democracy even to the extent Ukraine did. Its first post-Soviet head of state assumed his duties as if he thought he ruled from the Kremlin. Although economic collapse occurred, the Belarussian government did not even pretend to use that as its pretext to disregard all the glasnost and perestroika policies. It would have been the most logical response for the Gorbachev block to give its critics if they said: "Look, at least we aren't taking our directives from those thugs in Minsk". Political dissent is simply not tolerated in Belarus. The country has essentially sealed itself off from the rest of the world. Its currency is not convertible, and even Russian traders avoid doing business there.
