9781422283905

A young student and his mother shop for school supplies in Moldova, where incomes are low but life is good.

the rush to modernize the economy.” In the 21st century, the Russian cities of Dzerzhinsk and Norilsk have been among the 10 most polluted places on earth. Dzerzhinsk produced chemical weapons, and Norilsk has been a major mining town for more than 80 years. Instability in Eurasia has increased since fighting between Ukraine and Russia broke out in 2014. The conflict began when Russia annexed Crimea, a region that was part of Ukraine at the time but that is claimed by both Ukraine and Russia, after separatist groups in Russian-speaking eastern and southern

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S OCIAL P ROGRESS IN E URASIA