Moldova's general elections set for Nov. 28 will determine whether the country re-enters the Russian sphere of influence or continues its current tentative pro-Western path. The breakaway Moldovan province of Transdniestria is already a de facto Russian protectorate. Moldova is nestled between Ukraine and Romania along what is known as the Bessarabian Gap, which, along with the North European Plain, is the only east-west transportation corridor on the European continent. As such, Moldova has played an important strategic role throughout history despite a general lack of interest in its existence by most of the world.
