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
One of the enduring questions that we will probably never know the answer to is: what was the extent of the CIA’s involvement in the 1989 Revolution? Effectively, there are three theories as to how the FSN formed: It was a CIA plot. It was a KGB plot. Ion Iliescu was the right scumbag at the right place at the right time. Again, short of … Continue reading The Curious Case of Harold James Nicholson
It’s hot as balls in Romania right now, and the current scandal that everyone’s talking about is the recent revelations about Liviu Dragnea, the unofficial emperor of Romania. It’s not so much just that he’s up to his eyeballs in corrupt practices, but that he’s been laundering millions of dollars while on “fishing trips” in Brazil. I’ve got nothing new to add other than that … Continue reading Glorious Traditions
Over the past few months, a lot of people have been asking me exactly how much of what happened during the Romanian 1989 Revolution was orchestrated by the United States (or conversely, the Soviet Union). There’s a really persistent conspiracy theory that the Revolution was largely stage-managed by the USA, and I want to know if that’s true. The short answer for now is: I … Continue reading Veti mai trai pana la 9 ianuarie!
I spent much of today reading through English-language reports on the continuing protests in Romania. I saw lots of disinformation, bad mispronunciations of Liviu Dragnea’s name, and a rather superficial analysis of what’s actually going on, but one thing is now official: these are the largest protests in Romania’s history. The situation continues to evolve, but I continue to marvel at the sheer stupidity of … Continue reading Cold Fury
All Things Romania 