In quest of a smart neighborhood strategy: how should be the future Eastern foreign policy of Romania?

Abstract

As Romania became a NATO and EU member and geographically a border country for these organizations, its new interest in the foreign policy area should turn to the East, in order to reduce the level of risks, vulnerabilities and use the existing opportunities to develop more positive relations with the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Russia. As there are numerous obstacles like the psychocognitive misperception affecting leadership of states, the negative aspects of the organizational processes and the systemic pressures on all states, the only solution would be the progressive development of pragmatic areas of cooperation, especially the economic, cultural and environment issues. Mutual knowledge and the diminution of traditional, historic, fears generated by political myths inherited from the communist era would produce positive outcome, especially if new generations of policy-makers come in power with a new mentality.