Pay Attention to the Ukraine

I'll be honest -- the most attention I ever pay to events in the Ukraine is tracking Dynamo Kiev's progress through the Champions League. But the recent events surrounding the presidential election there bear some scrutiny. As this article from the European version of Time discusses, the outcome it much more important that just who runs a borderline third-world ex-Communist state. There is a rift between those who favor a more Western economy and society and those who favor a more authoritarian setup and close ties with Russia. The who situation may impact our relations with Putin's Russian, which could have ripple effects for years to come.