Don’t Isolate Ukraine, and Watch Those Neo-Fascists

Oct. 31 (Bloomberg) -- Ukraine this week held a deeplyflawed election, in which the main opposition leader was jailedand the biggest gains went to a party of neo-fascists, whoappear to have won 10 percent of the vote. For a country thateight years ago staged an inspiring uprising to overturn astolen election, it’s hard to imagine a more depressing outcome.

The breakthrough by Svoboda, an extreme-right-wing partyfrom the nation’s Ukrainian-speaking west, is just another signthat all is not well in this divided country. Before the Oct. 28election, Ukraine was already being shut out by the EuropeanUnion over its democratic failures and pressured by Russia tojoin a customs union with Belarus and Kazakhstan instead. Nowneo-fascists will take their seats in parliament.