Epstein Secrets

lations proved wildly misplaced. Opposi- tion parties swept to victory in country after coun- try—in Uruguay, Argentina, Nicaragua, South Korea, the Philippines, Poland. The word "stunning" made a frequent appearance in news accounts, as in the stunning rejection of the ruling party in Poland, or the stunn

lution as the latest form of American interventionism, and began a process of restricting Russian NGOs that was to reach a climax a decade later. Yanukovych eventually won the presidency in a 2010 comeback. but a second protest-driven revolution www.freedomhouse.org 23 EFTA00804747 BREAKING DOWN DEM

religious harmony, boast of government policies to ensure fair treatment for Russia's large Muslim population, and denounce those who brought down Yanukovych's government in Ukraine as fascists and pogromists. Yet when it comes to potential allies in Europe, it makes no difference to the Kremlin whether

n the city-state of Singapore. Since 2011, former wartime opponent Vietnam has allowed the US Navy to use the port of Cam Ranh Bay. Meanwhile, the Philippines are likely to become America's most important partner in a separate, but similar, conflict over disputed islands in the South China Sea. Some 40 pe

republic. Russia, for its part, reproached the EU for putting pressure on Ukraine. The EU is now under criticism for mishandling negotiations with Yanukovych, who had previously rejected European terms for closer association. So why Ukraine's last-minute reversal on the EU deal? In retrospect, Yanukovyc

how about 45 percent of Ukrainians supporting closer integration with the EU, and a third or less favoring closer ties with Russia. EFTA00636722 Yanukovych, a wily politician, is hoping to win reelection in 2015 and must balance several constituencies. He was elected in part based on his promise to imp

ll be to weaken those very institutions. Right now, if Myanmar wants a new network of roads, the government must work to curtail corruption. If the Philippines needs loans to increase electricity output, authorities must protect local ecosystems. If Bangladesh requires a new complex of factories, it has to

s, who wanted their country to be oriented toward the European Union. Putin finally brought Yanukovych around, but this sparked the Maidan revolt, Yanukovych's rapid exit, and Putin's need to shift strategies. For both Khrushchev and Putin, a competition in risk-taking offered a beguiling EFTA00662757

tries, the United States enjoyed an approval rating of more than 60 percent (a diverse crowd including Brazil, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, South Africa and, yes, even France). No doubt this is due in part to Obama's widely celebrated election. But only in part, for Obama's per

o the verge of military confrontation. The pro-Russia region of Crimea is seething, and the new central government that took over in Kiev after Mr. Yanukovych fled is barely functioning. President Obama, speaking at the White House, was right to warn Russia against any military move and to indicate that