Every capital city has its secrets, but Bucharest has a couple of unusual ones. One of them is this monument, currently located in the downtown Cismigiu Park. To understand why it’s there, we have to go back to the dark days of World War 2. Operation Tidal Wave As I’ve written about before, one of the strangest bits of historical trivia is that Romania is … Continue reading The Great Liberators
Have you ever seen this photograph before? It is, quite possibly, the single most important photograph ever taken in the 20th century. The woman on the far right, holding a baby, is Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna Romanova. The young man in the back is Crown Prince Carol. The photograph was taken on July 14, 1914, in Constanta, Romania. Although no one quite knew it at … Continue reading The Russian Queen of Romania That Almost Was
Watching Donald Trump’s speech last week in Poland where he effusively praised that country’s “strategic alliance” with America while never once bringing up the issue of the Visa Waiver Program, I wasn’t surprised in the least to see Poland commit to buying expensive but useless Patriot missile batteries. As I suspected, it was only a matter of time before Romania did the same thing: The … Continue reading Patriot Games
In case you’re wondering how Klaus Iohannis spent July 4, 2017, it was on stage with the American ambassador and a squad of US Marines, saying things like this. My translation: In terms of the military nature relationship, which is excellent, as well as our relationship with NATO, the United States is the primary guarantor of Romania’s security. Meanwhile, more than 25,000 foreign soldiers were … Continue reading Davai Ceas, Davai Palton
When it comes to being an American ally, you never get rewarded for doing the right thing. After compiling a lengthy list of what Romania has done to try and get on America’s Visa Waiver Program, I realized that I needed to produce something a bit more visual. Therefore, here’s a graphic that anyone can understand: Romania Hungary Poland Joined “Coalition of the Willing” to … Continue reading You (Don’t) Get What You’re Paying For
All Things Romania 