It was a small item in a local newspaper that caught my attention: An unusual number of canary-yellow Lamborghinis have been spotted in the Ukraine, Moldavia and Poland.

FORBES: Warning: Hide the Lamborghini; Taxman in the 'Hood

Also on 22 December, President Gorbachev issued a presidential decree threatening to take unspecified "necessary measures" in Moldavia unless steps were taken to end inter-ethnic conflicts in the republic.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center For Security Policy