Facing west

It's an interesting moment in history because rarely do we get to watch the evolution of a democratic society from birth. In this case, what we are watching is the change in Ukraine as it turns away from Russia and toward the West. Part of that is the nation's move to join the World Trade Organization, which it is set to do Feb. 5. Meanwhile, Yulia Tymoshenko, who almost certainly did not cry her way into office, is set to follow the former Soviet republic of Georgia in putting the issue of NATO membership before the people in a referendum. How these decisions will affect it's relationship to Russia, from whom it imports 35 percent of it's oil and natural gas, remains to be seen.