Rusia sub conducerea lui Putin

This is an interesting article about Russia under Putin, published by the Foreign Policy Research Institute. As a volunteer in a former Soviet country, it's easy for me to be pessimistic about Russia's influence in the region and to want to smash my head against a wall when I see Russia's version of political maneuvering. This article challenged some of my assumptions about the country, although I still have a long list of things that I don't like about it. It's a good read for everyone.

Razboiul Rece nu s-a terminat

The Cold War never ended. Just ask Vladimir Putin.

Putin has a couple valid points, especially regarding the illegitimacy of the Iraq war. To counter, though, here's John McCain, quoted in the New York Times:

“Will Russia’s autocratic turn become more pronounced, its foreign policy more opposed to the principles of the Western democracies and its energy policy used as a tool of intimidation?” he asked. “Moscow must understand that it cannot enjoy a genuine partnership with the West so long as its actions, at home and abroad, conflict fundamentally with the core values of the Euro-Atlantic democracies.”

But what really bothered me about the article, especially considering the quality of the Times, is this paragraph:

The United Nations is weighing a proposal that would put Kosovo on the path to independence from Serbia, which Russia opposes because it fears that such a move could upset its own turbulent relations with ethnic groups in the Caucasus. Russia has crushed one separatist-minded people within its own borders, in Chechnya, but supports two breakaway regions in Georgia: Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Excuse me, but Russia supports a third breakaway region, and it's in Moldova. Why does the Transnistria problem continue to get absolutely no acknowledgement in the Western media?

Vin acru

Domnul Pascal, the head of the Mereseni vineyard, came to the school today to talk to the teachers about the upcoming grape harvest. A heavy-set man, he looked tired and defeated, and he spoke in a fashion that layed out the facts describing the wine industry's situation without trying to induce sympathy.

The facts are harsh. Russia has banned Moldovan wine imports since March, closing a large majority of Moldova's export wine market. Pascal said he saw no end in sight. Because of Russia's ban, many wine factories in our county of Hincesti have closed for the year; Mereseni's factory will be running only one assembly line. On top of the ban, the crop is small this year. I think that this is due to a combination of an unusually dry summer, the deep frost from last winter and the vineyard owners' lack of interest in putting resources into a crop that they won't be able to sell for a profit.

Another new circumstance is complicating this year's harvest. Normally, students in village schools work for a few weeks to help with the harvest. The youngest students, in fifth grade, are some of the hardest workers and use the money they earn to buy clothes for winter and other necessities. Earlier this year, however, the Moldovan Parliament passed a law requiring students to be at least 14 years old in order to work in the fields, while also requiring 11th graders to stay in class. This creates a labor strain on the vineyards, since they depend on the student labor to quickly collect the grapes.

The facts are lined up this year against Pascal and others who depend on the wine industry, and they are partially hurt by the industry's current inefficiency. Right now, nearly every village has its own crop and its own wine factory. This system was fine when there was a large market for wine, but it is unsustainable now when it becomes harder and harder every year to make a profit. I think that the wine industry will bottom out soon and transition into agribusiness funded by wealthy Moldovans or foreign companies. These corporations could finance technological improvements such as tractors (not used much since the end of Soviet times) and irrigation, which would help the crop output. This seemingly inevitable transition, however, is still years down the line. In the meantime, at least some of my students are off to the harvest for another year.