Ukraine

First and foremost, Ukraine needs a legitimate, national government. The interim leaders installed by the Rada, its parliament, may be more palatable than Mr Yanukovych; but the Rada is a nest of crooks and placemen, and scarcely more legitimate than he was, as some protesters, and Russia, have pointed out. It is vital that the presidential election in May is clean, and seen to be: Western monitors must help to ensure that. And the new president should be untainted by the score-settling and nest-feathering that have blighted Ukraine’s politics.

The Economist deftly sums up the current state of Ukraine and its precarious next few months in Saving Ukraine: how the West can help. Nest of crooks and placemen, nest-feathering; beautiful.

They start with a country as divided as one could be. The Ukrainians will hopefully be more fortunate than the Egyptians.