Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution may give heart to Arab pro-reform movements. But it seems unlikely to provide much succour to opposition groups in the former Soviet Union. Here, the new year has started badly for democracy. The clampdown on political opposition in Belarus after rigged pre-Christmas elections was the most vicious in Europe for years. But it is not the only sign of democracy being eroded on the European Union’s eastern borders. Read the story here.
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Financial Times: Fading reform hopes in east expose European Union
Strongly-worded warnings issued by the European Union and the U.S. that they expect Ukraine to respect the rule of law may yet persuade Kyiv not to imprison former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.