So far, Eastern Europe has avoided economic meltdown, as you rightly point out (“No Panic, Just Gloom,” May 16, 2009). Although Latvia is overheated, Ukraine chaotic, and Hungary debt-sodden, as you put it, the region as a whole is far from the economic apocalypse many have feared quite recently. These and other countries still face a painful slump, but no more than that. As you argue, the risks involved are now being assessed more calmly and rationally than even a few months ago. But I wonder about your claim that the twenty-odd countries with the “ex-communist” tag have little in common and that they thus dispute its relevance. One thing all the countries in the region do share is a comparatively docile working class, a lasting tribute to communist ideology of yesteryear. Increasing competitiveness through wage cuts and greater efficiency may thus work in a number of Eastern European countries. Painful as such an “internal devaluation” may be, it is not likely to face serious resistance from labor unions. Not yet, at any rate.