NATO: Rebellion in the Ranks?

Posted by on Oct 30, 2014 in Articles, Europe, Featured, Security | 0 comments Vladimir Putin, the wily strategist of Russian revanchism, is well on his way to reconstructing the Warsaw Pact. That, at least, is what the pundits of The Washington Post are making it out to seem. Last week, Jackson Diehl penned a column on how Putin has driven a wedge between NATO and its easternmost members. Anne Applebaum, meanwhile, pins the failure to maintain quiet on the eastern...
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A Commitment to Children

Posted by on Oct 22, 2014 in Blog, Eastern Europe, Featured, Uncategorized | 0 comments They are called the decret generation. During the Communist era in Romania, Nicolae Ceausescu issued Decree 770 in 1967 making abortion and contraception illegal except under certain circumstances. The Communist leader wanted to radically increase the population of the country. People with money or political influence found a way around the regulations. But those who did not expect or could not...
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The Accidental Activist

Posted by on Oct 17, 2014 in Blog, Eastern Europe, Featured, Uncategorized | 0 comments Romania’s revolution in 1989 was not as clear-cut as those in other countries in the region. There was not, for instance, a sharp divide between the Communist political elite and the post-Communist elite. And the street demonstrations that faded elsewhere in the region intensified in Romania through the spring of 1990. For instance in April and May 1990, thousands of students occupied...
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Romania’s Resort Tourism

Posted by on Sep 23, 2014 in Blog, Eastern Europe, Featured, Uncategorized | 0 comments Romania has 275 kilometers of Black Sea coastline. The country tries to attract tourists by touting its sandy beaches, temperate climate, spas, and resort hotels. It’s tough competition. I met a couple of Romanians who said straight out that they prefer to vacation along Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast. And Turkey is a more popular destination for European and American travelers. Tanase Barde,...
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Playing Party Politics

Posted by on Sep 17, 2014 in Blog, Eastern Europe, Featured, Uncategorized | 0 comments Political parties in East-Central Europe are like amoebas. They are constantly splitting apart (mitosis) and then banding together in coalitions (aggregation). For someone coming from a U.S. context of two relatively stable parties, the political scene in East-Central Europe seems hopelessly complex. That goes double for Romania. During the 1989 revolution in Romania, a popular front organization...
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