Sunday, February 11, 2007

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?

Labels: , ,

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Un documentar despre Transnistria

This BBC documentary describes the situation between Moldova and the break-away region of Transnistria. I liked it overall, especially the reporter's demonstration of how porous the Transnistrian-Ukrainian border is and his day hanging out at President Vladimir Voronin's villa. It taught me a few things I didn't know, but I also have a few issues with it:
  • The documentary states that unemployment is a major problem in Moldova. From my conversations, I've concluded that the problem isn't a lack of jobs, it's a lack of compensation for jobs. Because Moldovans can make $2,000 a month in a foreign country doing the same job as what would make them $60 in Moldova, people choose to leave the country rather than find work.

  • The journalist says many Moldovans claim Transnistria cannot function on its own. In all of my conversations with Moldovans on the subject, I've heard the opposite; without Transnistrian factories, the rest of Moldova cannot sustain itself.


Aside from those issues, this is a good documentary that exposes Moldova to the West. Those are always welcome.

Thanks for the tip, Mircea Bordeianu.

Labels: , ,