Well, today was a very sad and tragic day for the people of the Republic of Moldova, as now this country is officially a regime: A government, especially an authoritarian one. On paper, RM is a democracy, complete with elections, a parliament, and a head of state. But in reality, a single mob boss controls everything in this country. And the only reason he’s allowed … Continue reading RIP, Democracy in Moldova
Well, just as I predicted, the onset of cold weather means that protests will start heating up across the Romanian world. Indeed, Romania saw widespread protests on November 27, once again demonstrating how upset people are by the political elites who keep trying to subvert the justice system in order to stay out of jail. But remember how ex-President Ion Iliescu complained about the protests … Continue reading Facebook Blues
After my wife and I enjoyed a lovely day in Transnistria last month, I told the Unsleeping Eye to increase its attention on this country that “doesn’t exist.” So, you can imagine my horror when I saw this story being reported by Agerpress, the official state media of Romania. My translation: The Use of the Latin Alphabet to Write the “Moldovan Language” Is Punishable by … Continue reading Fear and Loathing
After my interesting adventure in Transnistria, I realized that basically, no one knows anything about this country. Excuse me, no one outside the Russian-speaking world. Therefore, I present to you the world’s very first FAQ page for Transnistria, the country that doesn’t exist, except, of course, that it does. Isn’t Transnistria a breakaway republic? Kinda yes and kinda no. Here’s the timeline: 1924 – Transnistria … Continue reading Transnistria FAQ
Last weekend, my wife and I decided to go visit Transnistria, the “country that doesn’t exist”, but, of course, very much does exist. But an unexpected burst of cold rain and a malfunctioning battery quickly turned our carefree day trip into something we could never have anticipated. This is a true story. Chisinau has several bus stations, but the one with daily shuttles to Transnistria … Continue reading Scared, Alone, and Paranoid in Transnistria
All Things Romania 