Ukraine's democratic revolution has brought Viktor Yushchenko a convincing victory. But President Yushchenko will have only a brief honeymoon. The Ukrainian state is pervasively corrupt and a few privileged businessmen and bureaucrats benefit richly. He has a fleeting opportunity to end their domination and at last put the state at the service of the public.

The political system that takes root in Ukraine and the country's economic prosperity are crucial to Europe's stability. Ukraine is bigger in land mass than Germany and the UK combined, with 47m people. It is the state with the longest shared border with the EU.