Moldova: The Growing Pains of Democracy

Prolonged political stalemate in Moldova raises questions about the country’s ability to stay the course of reform despite the lack of immediate and gratifying results. At the same time, December’s election of Yevgeny Shevchuk—a new and younger face in Transnistria—has again raised hopes for normalization of the decades-old conflict with the breakaway region. Is Moldova’s political deadlock proof that the democratic process is working or evidence of a failing system? Is Russia losing the ability to impose its own flagging brand of “sovereign democracy” in nearby separatist enclaves? What can the United States do to encourage Moldova’s slow, but steady progress toward greater implementation of Helsinki commitments?