Major Issues in Romania’s Foreign Policy

 

This article is the first in a series of articles that I will publish on this blog dealing with Romania’s foreign policy. In this article I will outline the major international issues Romania’s foreign policy has to deal with in the international system. I will provide a brief description of these major issues and I will comment them according to their relevance. The other articles in the series will deal with the new draft ten year foreign policy strategy which has just been published by the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and with the cohesiveness and coherence of Romania’s foreign policy – with a major emphasis on the relations between the branches of the executive and internal political conflicts. The issues are divided according to their importance, relevance and urgency.

Romania and Russia: conflict and cooperation

This article will deal with the current status of relations between Romania and Russia. I will argue that although there are issues when cooperation can occur between the two states, the opportunities for conflict far outweigh them.

One thing that must be cleared from the beginning is that the relation between the two countries is and was asymmetrical. This relationship is and has been asymmetrical because it involves a great power or a medium power (depending on the timeline) and a small power. Today Russia can be catalogued as an aspiring great power while Romania remains a small power (with a good prospect of becoming a regional power).

Cementing the Alliance: Romania’s Parliament Allows the Deployment of U.S. Forces in the Country

Yesterday May 2, 2007, the Romanian Parliament adopted with a comfortable majority a resolution allowing for the stationing of US troops in the country. U.S. forces will use “Mihail Kogalniceanu” air base as well as several Romanian training ranges such as: Babadag, Smardan and Cincu. These troop redeployments are a part of the new basing strategy by the Pentagon which will put U.S. forces near to the theatres of operations of Afghanistan and Iraq, and will allow for far more flexible deployments for American troops around the world. The importance of these bases for U.S operations in the Middle East and Afghanistan is revealed by the forward operating bases status given to them by the Pentagon.

Why Romania Requires a Modern Navy

Alfred Thayer Mahan argued in his well known work The Influence of Sea Power upon History that control of the seas is important for the security and prosperity of a nation. He also argued that in order for a state to be a considered a great power it must have a powerful navy capable of keeping the sea lanes open and under its control. My article deals with the first assertion made by the famous naval historian and theorist and its relevance for Romania. As to the second assertion this is largely irrelevant to Romania as it is not in a position to be a great power. However it has a degree of relevance when it comes to the praxis of great powers in using sea power in order to achieve various political ends. In this latter case Romania has a lot to learn from great powers, especially because it shares a maritime space with Russia, a former great power with ambitions to become one once again.