RUSSIA LOSES ANOTHER ONE

A friend of mine whose name you know but is embarrassed to have his name mentioned and I will never forget standing on a street corner in Kishinev, Moldavia. We stood there looking like fools trying to keep our jaws from dropping open and our necks from snapping back and forth – for everywhere we looked, we saw another stunningly beautiful woman walk by. Between the two of us, we had been to just about every country in Europe, and we agreed: the most beautiful women on the European continent were right here. Kishinev left Paris in the dust.

That was back in 1990, and the place was still part of the Soviet Union. During World War II, Stalin decided to move the USSR-Romania border westward, from the Dniester River to the Prut River, and called the territory he had seized the Soviet Socialist Republic of Moldavia. The smallest of the USSR’s 15 republics (at 13,000 square miles, slightly larger than Maryland), it along with the others declared independence in 1991, changing its name to Moldova and its capital to Chisinau. Except there was this one little problem.

Take a look at the map:

You’ll see this skinny squiggly sliver on the east side of the Dniester labeled “Transnistria.” Stalin imported a lot of Russians there so this is a little Russian enclave – which proceeded to declare its independence from Moldova and demanded to remain in the Soviet Union! Except that by the end of 1991, the Soviet Union ceased to exist. For the last 13 years, it has been a Stalinist no man’s land, recognized by no other country, flying the flag of Soviet Moldavia, kept in place by thousands of Russian Army soldiers, and ruled by Communist criminals who survive by smuggling guns and drugs.

Finally, this may be coming to an end. Note that Moldova is sandwiched between Ukraine and Romania. Both of these countries have now elected governments firmly determined not to be pushed around by Moscow. Following suit, Moldova this Sunday (March 6) did the same. President Vladimir Voronin announced his intentions to seek ties with the EU, in a direct rebuff of Moscow’s wishes. What he has also been doing this week is talking privately with Ukraine President Victor Yushchenko about putting an end to Transnistria’s outlaw “independence.”

A variety of screws to which Transnistria could be put were discussed. It would be fairly simple, for example, to shut down all ground traffic into and out of Transnistria, or at least subject it to endless inspections. Among the most interesting possibilities was to see that Igor Smirnov, Transnistria’s “president,” be extradited to Latvia where he is wanted on a murder charge back when he was there as a Soviet KGB agent.

True to form, Putin’s Moscow is being wholly uncooperative, loudly demanding Transnistria be declared a fully autonomous district of Moldova, threatening Moldova with economic reprisals if it moves to the West, the whole Russian bully act. Russians never seem to learn from their losing hands.

It has become truly baffling to many folks in Washington how masochistically stubborn and stupid Russia’s leadership has become. It seems to be the inescapable consequence of refusing to relinquish bitterness and resentment. Just like what’s happened to the Democrat Party.