Yesterday here in the Republic of Moldova it was Independence Day. I was too busy working to attend any of the celebrations but I did see a rather anemic five-minute firework display from my balcony in the evening. It turns out that the pathetic light show pretty much sums up the state of democracy around here. I’ve already written before about how George Soros is … Continue reading The Price of Democracy
I’ve been keeping my hands clean of the quagmire of Moldovan politics for a while, but this and this is simply too outrageous to ignore. My translation: The speaker of the Parliament, Andrian Candu, who is the godson of the oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc, said that it is the citizens of the Republic of Moldova who are truly to blame for a culture of widespread corruption. … Continue reading Blaming the Victim
I see that the beatification of Saint Laura Codruta Kovesi continues apace as the French government just officially awarded her the Legion of Honor (French version ici), the highest civilian distinction that the French government has. I suppose she’s in good company. Other Romanians who have received this very prestigious and completely legitimate honor include: King Michael/Mihai – the same guy who fucked over Romania … Continue reading Legion of Honor
Despite the ongoing effort to beatify Laura Codruta Kovesi, not everyone in the business community happy. In this moronic Bloomberg piece, Ion Tiriac and others complain that prosecuting government officials for corruption is bad for business: Tiriac told journalists he had spent more than two years trying to line up the necessary government approvals, but a sweeping crackdown on corruption has made civil servants reluctant … Continue reading Obeying the Law Is Bad for Business
Word Count: 657 Brief background in case you’re just joining us: The Republic of Moldova (where I live) is a divided country, where some people speak Romanian at home and some people speak Russian. Likewise, politics are divided, with some groups wanting to join the European Union, and some groups wanting closer ties with Russia (and its Customs Union, similar to the EU). And so, … Continue reading Loan Shark
All Things Romania 