Georgescu and the split in Romania's secret services. Anti-Atlanticist sentiment among Romanian migrant workers. Boomer-zoomer alliance against millennials. Sniper martyrology: Ro 1989 and Ukr 2014.
Nice to see a non-westerner writing about Romania. Especially when it comes from one of our neighbours. Great article overall and you got a good feel of the zeitgeist.
My only gripe is with comparing the Revolution to Maidan. There was a genuine cross-class desire to get rid of Ceausescu. People might have changed their opinion now after seeing capitalism, but the desire was there, not only some elites.
Those snipers, killings and chaos, probably came from incompetence and fear of the secret services and the military.
This incompetence and cross-agency conflict can be seen even now with Georgescu. Rather than a deep-state conspiracy putting him up there, or trying to put him down, the agencies did nothing and created a school grade report to justify cancelling the elections.
Interesting piece on Romania contrasting it with Ukraine as like a Ukraine that made it in the EU and despoiled by global capital still. I concur with your thoughts on georgescu, banning him from the elections is probably going to make the protest voting base even more angrier than before. Never knew about the eastern european Boomer-Zoomer alliance, but it makes sense the boomer disenchanted by post-soviet capitalism and the zoomer growing up with the reality of it. My assumption is that because Ukraine never put itself back together as in Romania in the EU, Belarus as a Soviet Social Democracy, and Russia as a Center right Sovereignist entity, that there is a lot of millennials in ukraine because the EU is still a utopia to them, harsh repression aside. I hope to see more articles like this and I wish you well.
I think it would be similar to Serbia in my opinion; since there until recently has been no counter-hegemonic entity, though I feel like a non EU/NATO member Romania could play off Russia + NATO against each other.
In the view of your Romanian friends, is there some sort of 'domestic capital' faction the now weakened SIE represents vis-a-vis the SRI? Asking because Romania's very own NABU, the DNA, has apparently had a field day in Romania (Gaspar Miklos Tamas likened it to the Habsburg bureaucracy).
Very great article. I lived in Romania for 19 years and this is how I feel as well. I'm pleasantly surprised by the details, I wasn't expecting such depth when it comes to my country!
Thank you, I am very honored to hear that! I only lived there for four months, but I did my best to talk with locals and travel around to different cities
The fact you presented the "alternative" view on 1989 so good convinced me of your quality. The Romanian liberal milieu actively discredits any sort of positive view on the Socialist period. "Ceausescu never paid the country's debts" or just insults over anyone who doesn't believe in the official narrative. We're lucky we're not Ukraine, but some liberals really wish it was.
Nice to see a non-westerner writing about Romania. Especially when it comes from one of our neighbours. Great article overall and you got a good feel of the zeitgeist.
My only gripe is with comparing the Revolution to Maidan. There was a genuine cross-class desire to get rid of Ceausescu. People might have changed their opinion now after seeing capitalism, but the desire was there, not only some elites.
Those snipers, killings and chaos, probably came from incompetence and fear of the secret services and the military.
This incompetence and cross-agency conflict can be seen even now with Georgescu. Rather than a deep-state conspiracy putting him up there, or trying to put him down, the agencies did nothing and created a school grade report to justify cancelling the elections.
Keep it up, I'm subscribing.
Interesting piece on Romania contrasting it with Ukraine as like a Ukraine that made it in the EU and despoiled by global capital still. I concur with your thoughts on georgescu, banning him from the elections is probably going to make the protest voting base even more angrier than before. Never knew about the eastern european Boomer-Zoomer alliance, but it makes sense the boomer disenchanted by post-soviet capitalism and the zoomer growing up with the reality of it. My assumption is that because Ukraine never put itself back together as in Romania in the EU, Belarus as a Soviet Social Democracy, and Russia as a Center right Sovereignist entity, that there is a lot of millennials in ukraine because the EU is still a utopia to them, harsh repression aside. I hope to see more articles like this and I wish you well.
Would România have been better off if it hadn’t joined the EU?
I think it would be similar to Serbia in my opinion; since there until recently has been no counter-hegemonic entity, though I feel like a non EU/NATO member Romania could play off Russia + NATO against each other.
In the view of your Romanian friends, is there some sort of 'domestic capital' faction the now weakened SIE represents vis-a-vis the SRI? Asking because Romania's very own NABU, the DNA, has apparently had a field day in Romania (Gaspar Miklos Tamas likened it to the Habsburg bureaucracy).
Hopefully Dan is doing good nowadays!
Very great article. I lived in Romania for 19 years and this is how I feel as well. I'm pleasantly surprised by the details, I wasn't expecting such depth when it comes to my country!
Thank you, I am very honored to hear that! I only lived there for four months, but I did my best to talk with locals and travel around to different cities
The fact you presented the "alternative" view on 1989 so good convinced me of your quality. The Romanian liberal milieu actively discredits any sort of positive view on the Socialist period. "Ceausescu never paid the country's debts" or just insults over anyone who doesn't believe in the official narrative. We're lucky we're not Ukraine, but some liberals really wish it was.
Fantastic piece. Thank you!
Thank you so much for this view from within! We need this kind of perspective...