Editor's note: Stratfor is continuing to closely monitor the unfolding protest situation in Moldova and its political repercussions. The following is a short explanation of the tiny country's strategic importance in the contest between Russia and the West. On a continent home to many of history's great powers, the Republic of Moldova seems insignificant. The tiny, landlocked country of only 3 million people is located on Europe's eastern periphery, wedged between Romania and Ukraine. It holds the distinction of being one of Europe's poorest nations — with a nominal gross domestic product of just over $8 billion — and is relatively new on the world stage, having become independent from Soviet rule only in 1991. But Moldova's small size and relative impoverishment belie the country's geopolitical significance, which lies in its key position in the lowlands of southeastern Europe between the Carpathian Mountains and the Black Sea.