The Time of the Oligarch: Relations Between Romania and the Republic of Moldova (2009-2018)

Abstract

This article aims to present the evolution of relations between Romania and the Republic of Moldova over the last decade, in the period between "the Twitter revolution" and the summer of 2018, the moment when there was a dramatic cooling of relations between the European Union, the United States, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank, on the one hand, and Moldova on the other. In this article we also analyze the way in which Romania has reacted to Moldova’s side skids and try to make sense of the extent to which the government in Bucharest may be considered responsible for the transformation of Moldova from the success story of the Eastern Partnership into a captive state, as it is considered today.