Moldova’s elections took place Sunday, November 30, 2014. According to the BBC and other Western media, the preliminary results — of considerable interest to the governments of Russia, the EU and the USA — are in.
You might also be hearing a lot more about her in the future. Rumors have been circulating for months that Moldova promises to be the next hotspot in the cold war between the East and the West.
Moldova’s Flag
The New York Times December 1, 2014 headline read,
“Moldova Vote Gives Edge to Parties Looking West”
Moldova, unlike her much larger Ukrainian neighbor, does not share a border with Russia. She, instead, is completely encircled by Romania and Ukraine.
However, like Ukraine, a good portion of her citizens are pro European; also she must contend with those who are not — including a significant Russian ethnic population in the eastern part.
The eastern territory is known as Transnistria (a.k.a. Trans-Dnieste). It is a narrow strip extending from north to south next to Ukraine’s border and to the west by the Dniester River. Depending on one’s perspective, it is either a Moldovan state with special privileges or has been on its own since a 1992 cease-fire.
The Washington Post headline on March 24, 2014 previously proclaimed,
“Transnistria, the breakaway region of Moldova, could be Russia’s next target”
The Washington Post provides a helpful map of Moldova and names other nations possibly in Russia’s crosshairs.
On December 2, 2014, a New York Times opinion headline echoed a similar thought,
“Is Moldova Another Ukraine?”
Read the NY Times article here
Read the Washington Post article here
