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
If you’re learning Romanian, you’ll soon find out that there are a metric ton of strange and confusing grammar rules. The vocabulary and verb conjugations are relatively easy, but understanding noun cases is pretty tricky. And probably one of the most difficult things to learn is when and how to use the genitive “a”. If you remember my post The Case of the Frustrating Cases, … Continue reading Hey, Hey, It’s the Genitive A!
Hmm…. this all sounds very familiar. First, the staid New York Times piece: These days, however, it is a different photograph that is rallying support for Moscow’s allies in Europe’s Poorest Country™. It shows a United States assistant secretary of state, Victoria J. Nuland, standing shoulder-to-shoulder in Washington with Vlad Plahotniuc, Moldova’s most-feared figure, a nominally pro-Western tycoon with a reputation so toxic that even … Continue reading Nuland Endorses Moldova’s Most Hated Politician
All Things Romania 