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Much of Eastern Europe has seen rapid improvements since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Moldova elected a pro-EU instead of sliding into alt-right territory. So to declare it (or anything) never fails is never going to be true. Looking to Russia as an example, what hasn't been failing? They went from being #2 to being a a pariah state

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While I broadly agree with you, Russia is not a useful example for this point: the failures as a state to be a good place for normal people to live in are not the important failures, instead look specifically at the oligarchs within it and the power they wield, the money they've made.

Those oligarchs could have, and be, making a lot more money if they integrated with the global economy and participated as a good contributing member.

It's a failure of lost opportunity for the oligarchs too. Authoritarian regimes have a much lower upper-limit that holds everyone and everything back

I don't think so, they would be crushed and bought out by the bigger American Oligarchs. By liting their influence, their local monopoly remains unbeatable.

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